A statistical approach was carried out to identify the prevalent virulence factors responsible for post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). Healthy piglets' faecal samples and diarrhoeic piglets' rectal swab specimens were secured. Twenty-six (26) and 100 independent enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains were subsequently isolated. These strains were assessed utilising polymerase chain reaction to identify the encoding genes of six virulence factors: heat-labile enterotoxin (LT; encoded by eltAB), heat-stable enterotoxin A (STa; encoded by estA), heat-stable enterotoxin B (STb; encoded by estB), enteroaggregative E. coli heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1; encoded by astA), Shiga toxin 2e (Stx2e; encoded by stx2e), and F18 fimbriae (encoded by fedA). The LT and ST secretions were investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. From direct observation, no stx2e was evident in the 126 strains. Among the 26 strains retrieved from the healthy piglets, none harboured fedA or secreted LT; 23% (6/26) secreted ST, and 50% (13/26) carried astA. A statistical regression was applied on the 100 E. coli strains retrieved from the diarrhoeic piglets, where fedA was set as the dependent variable and the enterotoxin secretions were set as the independent variables. The results exhibit that the LT secretion was the only significant factor (P < 0.000 1) correlated to fedA in the diarrhoeic piglets; thus, it is concluded that the prevalent virulence factors for PWD were the ECET strain with F18 fimbriae adhesion and LT secretion, but not astA or stx2e.

Animal Technology Research Center Agricultural Technology Research Institute Taiwan R O C

Department of Chemical Engineering National Chung Hsing University Taiwan R O C

Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology Asia University Taiwan R O C

Institute of Molecular Biology National Chung Hsing University Taiwan R O C

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Baron EJ, Antonson S. Identification of unusual pathogenic gram-negative aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. Clin Infect Dis. 1997 Mar;24(3):1-9. PubMed

Beutin L, Kruger U, Krause G, Miko A, Martin A, Strauch E. Evaluation of major types of Shiga toxin 2E-producing Escherichia coli bacteria present in food, pigs, and the environment as potential pathogens for humans. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Aug;74(15):4806-16. PubMed PMC

Cheng D, Sun H, Xu J, Gao S. PCR detection of virulence factor genes in Escherichia coli isolates from weaned piglets with edema disease and/or diarrhea in China. Vet Microbiol. 2006 Jul 20;115(4):320-8. PubMed

Choi YS, Lee JK, Jung JT, Jung YC, Jung JH, Jung MO, Choi YI, Jin SK, Choi JS. Comparison of meat quality and fatty acid composition of longissimus muscles from purebred pigs and three-way crossbred LYD pigs. Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2016 Oct 31;36(5):689-96. PubMed PMC

Crowley E, Bird P, Fisher K, Goetz K, Boyle M, Benzinger MJ Jr, Juenger M, Agin J, Goins D, Johnson R. Evaluation of the VITEK 2 Gram-negative (GN) microbial identification test card: Collaborative study. J AOAC Int. 2012 May-Jun;95(3):778-85. PubMed

Cutler SA, Lonergan SM, Cornick N, Johnson AK, Stahl CH. Dietary inclusion of colicin e1 is effective in preventing postweaning diarrhea caused by F18-positive Escherichia coli in pigs. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2007 Nov;51(11):3830-5. PubMed PMC

Dubreuil JD. Escherichia coli STb toxin and colibacillosis: Knowing is half the battle. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2008 Jan;278(2):137-45. PubMed

Erume J, Berberov EM, Kachman SD, Scott MA, Zhou Y, Francis DH, Moxley RA. Comparison of the contributions of heat-labile enterotoxin and heat-stable enterotoxin b to the virulence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in F4ac receptor-positive young pigs. Infect Immun. 2008 Jul;76(7):3141-9. PubMed PMC

Evans D Jr, Evans DG, Gorbach SL. Production of vascular permeability factor by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from man. Infect Immun. 1973 Nov 1;8(5):725-30. PubMed PMC

Fairbrother JM, Nadeau E, Gyles CL. Escherichia coli in postweaning diarrhea in pigs: An update on bacterial types, pathogenesis, and prevention strategies. Anim Health Res Rev. 2005 Jun;6(1):17-39. PubMed

Frydendahl K, Kare Jensen T, Strodl Andersen J, Fredholm M, Evans G. Association between the porcine Escherichia coli F18 receptor genotype and phenotype and susceptibility to colonisation and postweaning diarrhoea caused by E. coli O138:F18. Vet Microbiol. 2003 May 2;93(1):39-51. PubMed

Gyles CL. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli: An overview. J Anim Sci. 2007 Mar;85(13_Suppl):E45-62. PubMed

Ho WS, Tan LK, Ooi PT, Yeo CC, Thong KL. Prevalence and characterization of verotoxigenic-Escherichia coli isolates from pigs in Malaysia. BMC Vet Res. 2013 Jun 4;9:109. PubMed PMC

Kim YJ, Kim JH, Hur J, Lee JH. Isolation of Escherichia coli from piglets in South Korea with diarrhea and characteristics of the virulence genes. Can J Vet Res. 2010 Jan;74(1):59-64. PubMed PMC

Lee CH, Hu ST, Swiatek PJ, Moseley SL, Allen SD, So M. Isolation of a novel transposon which carries the Escherichia coli enterotoxin STII gene. J Bacteriol. 1985 May;162(2):615-20. PubMed PMC

Lee SI, Kang SG, Kang ML, Yoo HS. Development of multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays for detecting enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and their application to field isolates from piglets with diarrhea. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2008 Jul;20(4):492-6. PubMed

Marques LRM, Peiris JSM, Cryz SJ, O’Brien AD. Escherichia coli strains isolated from pigs with edema disease produce a variant of shiga-like toxin II. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1987;44(1):33-8.

McConnell MM, Smith HR, Willshaw GA, Scotland SM, Rowe B. Plasmids coding for heat-labile enterotoxin production isolated from Escherichia coli O78: Comparison of properties. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jul;143(1):158-67. PubMed PMC

Meijerink E, Neuenschwander S, Fries R, Dinter A, Bertschinger HU, Stranzinger G, Vogeli P. A DNA polymorphism influencing alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase activity of the pig FUT1 enzyme determines susceptibility of small intestinal epithelium to Escherichia coli F18 adhesion. Immunogenetics. 2000 Nov;52(1-2):129-36. PubMed

Nagy B, Fekete PZ. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in veterinary medicine. Int J Med Microbiol. 2005 Oct;295(6-7):443-54. PubMed

Ngeleka M, Pritchard J, Appleyard G, Middleton DM, Fairbrother JM. Isolation and association of Escherichia coli AIDA-I/STb, rather than EAST1 pathotype, with diarrhea in piglets and antibiotic sensitivity of isolates. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2003 May;15(3):242-52. PubMed

Paiva de Sousa C, Dubreuil JD. Distribution and expression of the astA gene (EAST1 toxin) in Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Int J Med Microbiol. 2001 Apr;291(1):15-20. PubMed

Pass MA, Odedra R, Batt RM. Multiplex PCRs for identification of Escherichia coli virulence genes. J Clin Microbiol. 2000 May;38(5):2001-4. PubMed PMC

Skerman FJ, Formal SB, Falkow S. Plasmid-associated enterotoxin production in a strain of Escherichia coli isolated from humans. Infect Immun. 1972 Apr;5(4):622-4. PubMed PMC

Teng CH, Wu PC, Tang SL, Chen YC, Cheng MF, Huang PC, Ko WC, Wang JL. A large spatial survey of colistin-resistant gene mcr-1-carrying E. coli in rivers across Taiwan. Microorganisms. 2021 Mar 31;9(4):722. PubMed PMC

Toledo A, Gomez D, Cruz C, Carreon R, Lopez J, Giono S, Castro AM. Prevalence of virulence genes in Escherichia coli strains isolated from piglets in the suckling and weaning period in Mexico. J Med Microbiol. 2012 Jan;61(Pt 1):148-56. PubMed

Vu-Khac H, Holoda E, Pilipcinec E, Blanco M, Blanco JE, Dahbi G, Mora A, Lopez C, Gonzalez EA, Blanco J. Serotypes, virulence genes, intimin types and PFGE profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from piglets with diarrhoea in Slovakia. Vet J. 2007 Jul;174(1):176-87. PubMed

Wachsmuth K, Wells J, Shipley P, Ryder R. Heat-labile enterotoxin production in isolates from a shipboard outbreak of human diarrheal illness. Infect Immun. 1979 Jun;24(3):793-7. PubMed PMC

Wasteson Y, Olsvik O. Specific DNA fragments coding for ST1 and LT1 toxins, and K88 (F4) adhesin in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Zentralbl Veterinarmed B. 1991 Aug;38(6):445-52. PubMed

Yamamoto T, Yokota T. Plasmids of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli H10407: Evidence for two heat-stable enterotoxin genes and a conjugal transfer system. J Bacteriol. 1983 Mar;153(3):1352-60. PubMed PMC

Yang GY, Guo L, Su JH, Zhu YH, Jiao LG, Wang JF. Frequency of diarrheagenic virulence genes and characteristics in Escherichia coli isolates from pigs with diarrhea in China. Microorganisms. 2019 Sep 2;7(9):308. PubMed PMC

Zhang W, Zhao M, Ruesch L, Omot A, Francis D. Prevalence of virulence genes in Escherichia coli strains recently isolated from young pigs with diarrhea in the US. Vet Microbiol. 2007 Jul 20;123(1-3):145-52. PubMed

Zhang W. Progress and challenges in vaccine development against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)-associated porcine post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). J Vet Med Res. 2014 Aug;1(2): [13].

Zang CZ, Kan SC, Yeh CW, Lin CC, Shieh CJ, Liu YC. Ultrasound-assisted (R)-phenylephrine whole-cell bioconversion by S. marcescens N10612. Ultrason Sonochem. 2015 Sep;26:415-21. PubMed

Efficacy of the intranasal application of azaperone for sedation in weaned piglets

Efficacy and safety of higher oral doses of azaperone to achieve sedation in pigs