Background: Mycoplasma hyopharyngis is a commensal bacterium in the upper respiratory tract of swine. As it is recognized to be apathogenic, examinations regarding this species are scarce, compared to other swine mycoplasmas. However, in a few cases, M. hyopharyngis was detected in lesions of different organs. This report presents a case study in which M. hyopharyngis (along with other bacteria) was isolated from the joint of a pig showing lameness. Case presentation: A Hungarian farm was repopulated with 250 gilts and 1,700 finishers after undergoing a complete depopulation and disinfection. Two days later, cases of diarrhoea and septicaemia caused by Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium were seen in the finishers. At the same time, following the first farrowing, swollen joints were observed in 21-25 days old piglets. Joint samples were collected, and isolation of Mycoplasma sp. and other bacteria was attempted. Analysis of the joint samples revealed the presence of Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus hyicus, Aerococcus viridans, Trueperella pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae and M. hyopharyngis. Conclusions: This is the second isolation of M. hyopharyngis from joints, which highlights the necessity of a better understanding the biology of this often-overlooked species, and its role in the progress of arthritis or other lesions.

Background: Among hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), the genus Ixodes comprises the highest number of species, which in turn are most numerous in the Afrotropical zoogeographic region. In South Africa extensive morphological studies have been performed on Ixodes species but only few reports included molecular analyses. Methods: In this study, 58 Ixodes spp. ticks, collected from ten mammalian and eight avian host species in South Africa, were molecularly and phylogenetically analyzed. In addition, a newly collected sample of the Palearctic Ixodes trianguliceps was included in the analyses. Results: Among the ticks from South Africa, 11 species were identified morphologically. The majority of ticks from mammals represented the Ixodes pilosus group with two species (n = 20), followed by ticks resembling Ixodes rubicundus (n = 18) and Ixodes alluaudi (n = 3). In addition, single specimens of Ixodes rhabdomysae, Ixodes ugandanus, Ixodes nairobiensis and Ixodes simplex were also found. Considering bird-infesting ticks, Ixodes theilerae (n = 7), Ixodes uriae (n = 4) and ticks most similar to Ixodes daveyi (provisionally named I. cf. daveyi, n = 2) were identified. Molecular analyses confirmed two species in the I. pilosus group and a new species (I. cf. rubicundus) closely related to I. rubicundus sensu stricto. Phylogenetic trees based on concatenated mitochondrial or mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences indicated that the subgenus Afrixodes forms a monophyletic clade with bird-associated exophilic ticks (subgenus Trichotoixodes). Ixodes trianguliceps clustered separately whereas I. alluaudi with their morphologically assigned subgenus, Exopalpiger. Conclusions: Phylogenetic analyses shed new lights on the relationships of Ixodes subgenera when including multiple sequences from subgenus Afrixodes and African as well as Palearctic species of subgenera Trichotoixodes and Exopalpiger. Subgenera Afrixodes and bird-associated Trichotoixodes share common ancestry, suggesting that the latter might have also originated in Africa. Regarding the subgenus Exopalpiger, I. alluaudi is properly assigned as it clusters among different Australian Ixodes, whereas I. trianguliceps should be excluded. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].