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Volume 27, Number 10—October 2021
Dispatch

Widespread Disease in Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) Caused by Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans

An MartelComments to Author , Filip Boyen, Jörg Rau, Tobias Eisenberg, Andreas Sing, Anja Berger, Koen Chiers, Sarah Van Praet, Serge Verbanck, Muriel Vervaeke, and Frank Pasmans
Author affiliations: Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium (A. Martel, F. Boyen, K. Chiers, S. Van Praet, S. Verbanck, F. Pasmans); Chemical and Veterinary Analysis Agency Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany (J. Rau); Hessian State Laboratory, Giessen, Germany (T. Eisenberg); Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany (A. Sing, A. Berger); Agency for Nature and Forests, Brussels, Belgium (M. Vervaeke)

Main Article

Table 1

Bacterial isolates obtained from 81 diseased hedgehogs, Flanders, Belgium*

Bacterial species obtained from lesions No. positive animals
Corynebacterium ulcerans 53
Staphylococcus aureus 25
Enterococcus faecalis 23
Streptococcus canis 18
Streptococcus dysgalactiae 18
Proteus vulgaris/P. hauseri 17
Staphylococcus rostri 15
Proteus mirabilis 14
Streptococcus pyogenes 13
Staphylococcus xylosus 10
Staphylococcus microti 8
Staphylococcus sciuri 8
Vagococcus fluvialis 8
Enterococcus avium 7
Escherichia coli 7
Staphylococcus pettenkoferi 7
Morganella morganii 6
Staphylococcus fleurettii 6
Pasteurella multocida 4
Corynebacterium amycolatum 3
Bacteroides fragilis 3
Staphylococcus simulans 3
Trueperella pyogenes 3
Vagococcus lutrae 2
Arcanobacterium haemolyticum 1
Bacillus sp. 1
Bacteroides pyogenes 1
Corynebacterium confusum 1
Corynebacterium rouxii 1
Enterococcus hirae 1
Enterobacter hormaechei 1
Gemella haemolysans 1
Lactococcus garvieae 1
Streptococcus gallinaceus 1
Streptococcus thoraltensis 1

*Bacteria were identified by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Biovar identification for the C. diphtheriae isolate was performed by using the Api Coryne System (bioMérieux, https://www.biomerieux.com). †Also detected by Berger et al. (1) and Franklinos et al. (2).

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Page updated: September 19, 2021
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