Diarrhoea in neonatal piglets: a case control study on microbiological findings

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Health
• Microbiology

Background:

• Neonatal piglet diarrhea is multifactorial, with common pathogens like E. coli and Clostridium perfringens type C playing minor roles.
• Investigating less common infectious agents is crucial for understanding piglet enteric disease.
• This study focuses on identifying pathogens associated with clinical and pathological signs of diarrhea in neonatal piglets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence of selected infectious pathogens in neonatal piglets exhibiting enteric disease signs.
• To determine the association between rotavirus A, Enterococcus hirae, Clostridium difficile, and Clostridium perfringens types A/C and piglet diarrhea.
• To explore the role of E. coli virulence factors in neonatal piglet diarrhea.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study design was employed at the piglet level.
• Detection of specific pathogens including rotavirus A, E. hirae, C. difficile, and C. perfringens types A/C.
• Multistep procedure using herd-pools of E. coli isolates to screen for virulence factors.

Main Results:

• Rotavirus A was significantly more prevalent in piglets with diarrhea (25%) compared to controls (6%).
• Enterococcus hirae, Clostridium difficile, and beta2 gene-positive C. perfringens type A showed similar detection rates in both cases and controls.
• High prevalence of EAST1 toxin genes (55%) and AIDA-1 adhesin genes (63%) was observed in E. coli isolates from case piglets.

Conclusions:

• Rotavirus A is statistically associated with neonatal piglet diarrhea.
• E. coli strains carrying EAST1 and AIDA-1 virulence factors are potential causative agents requiring further investigation.
• While E. hirae, C. difficile, and C. perfringens type A (beta2 genes) were not directly associated, massive E. hirae overgrowth may contribute to pathogenesis in some cases.