Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Subclinical Infection in Pigs: Bacteriological, Genotypic Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles: A Cross-Sectional Study in 11 Farrow-to-Finish Farms

MOREDO,F.; PIÑEYRO, P.E.; MARQUEZ, G.C.; GALLI, L.; SANZ, M.; COLELLO, R.; ETCHEVERRÍA, A.I.; PADOLA, N.L.; QUIROGA, M.A.; PERFUMO, C.J.; LEOTTA, G.A.

FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND DISEASE

MARY ANN LIEBERT INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2015 vol. 12 p. 704 - 711

1535-3141

In order to determine the prevalence of ETEC in healthy pigs, 990 animals from 11 pig farms were sampled. Using end-time PCR, ETEC were detected in 150 (15.2%) animals. From the positive samples 43 strains were isolated. From them, 39.5% were resistant to multiple antimicrobials and 9 of them carried the gene intI2 . The genotypes rfbO157/estII/aidA and estI/estII were the most prevalent, 32.5% and 25.0%, respectively. The estII gene was identified most frequently (90.7%), followed by estI (34.9%), astA (25.6%) and eltA (11.6%). The genes coding the fimbriae F5, F6 and F18 were detected in single isolates each one. The aidA gene was detected in 20 ETEC associated with estII gene. ETEC belonged to 9 different serogroups, and 35.0% of them to serotype O157:H19. Isolates were associated by ERIC-PCR into 9 groups with 70.0% similarity. This is the first cross-sectional study conducted simultaneously in multiple farms to detect prevalence and characterization of ETEC from pigs without clinical signs of diarrhea performed in Argentina