Fig. 1

Mortality (A + B), morbidity (C + D) and severe morbidity (E + F) after intravenous cps3 infection of 6-week-old piglets. Piglets were infected with 2 × 10⁷ CFU (n = 5/group) (A; C; E) or 2 × 10⁸ CFU (n = 8/group) (B; D; F) of S. suis cps3 strain 16667/3. One group was treated with buprenorphine until the 5th day after infection. The health status was monitored every 8 h. Morbidity was defined as inner body temperature ≥ 40.2 °C or acute clinical signs of S. suis disease. Severe morbidity was defined as inner body temperature of ≥ 40.2˚C in three consecutive controls or an inner body temperature ≥ 40.5˚C and additionally reduced appetite. Piglets were euthanized if pre-defined endpoints such as central nervous disorders or signs of acute polyarthritis or a clinical score ≥ 25 were recorded. Statistical analysis of the Kaplan–Meier diagram was performed using the log-rank test (p-values are shown below the diagrams)