Improvement of the Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Infection Model for Post-Weaning Diarrhea by Controlling for Bacterial Adhesion, Pig Breed and MUC4 Genotype

Abstract

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major cause of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs and causes significant damage to the swine industry worldwide. In recent years, there has been increased regulation against the use of antibacterial agents in swine due to their health risks. Utilizing experimental models that consistently recapitulate PWD is important for the development of non-antibacterial agents against PWD in pigs. In this study, we established a highly reproducible PWD infection model by examining differences in adhesion of ETEC to the intestinal tissue as well as the association between MUC4 polymorphisms and sensitivity to PWD. Post-weaning diarrhea differences between pig breeds were also examined. The adhesion to enterocytes varied from 104.0 to 106.4 CFU/mL even among the F4 ETEC strains. Experimental infection revealed that PWD can be induced in all MUC4 genotypes after infection with 1010 CFU/pig of highly adherent ETEC, although there were variable sensitivities between the genotypes. Lowly adherent ETEC did not cause PWD as efficiently as did highly adherent ETEC. The incidence of PWD was confirmed for all pigs with the ETEC-susceptible MUC4 genotypes in all of the breeds. These results indicate that high-precision and reproducible experimental infection is possible regardless of pig breeds by controlling factors on the pig-end (MUC4 genotype) and the bacterial-end (adhesion ability).

Long-chain PUFA ameliorate enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced intestinal inflammation and cell injury by modulating pyroptosis and necroptosis signaling pathways in porcine intestinal epithelial cells

“…It can cause many diseases such as severe diarrhoea and sepsis, and even life-threatening diseases under certain conditions. It has been shown that ETEC infection could result in an increased risk of mortality and even morbidity in children and young animals (1,26) .…”

Effect of Lactylate and Bacillus subtilis on Growth Performance, Peripheral Blood Cell Profile, and Gut Microbiota of Nursery Pigs

“…First, lactylate or the LA + BM combination in the diet effectively reduced the relative abundances of F16 E. coli in the piglets in Phase 1, which has also been validated by the culture-dependent quantification method, as previously described. E. coli or ETEC are major pathogens that invade during lactation and the postweaning period, causing severe dysbiosis, increased intestinal permeability, diarrhea, and reduced growth performance [ 23 , 44 ]. Therefore, lactylate can help protect the piglets from E. coli infection.…”

Pilot study on CHCF1 genotype in a pig challenge model for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4ab/ac associated post-weaning diarrhea

“…However, 40% of the challenged MUC4 resistant pigs in their study also developed challenge strain induced diarrhea a few days later. MUC4 resistant pigs that develop diarrhea after ETEC F4 challenge have been described recently [ 10 ]. We chose the MUC4 marker for comparison as it has been the most widely used genotype test for ETEC F4 susceptibility in challenge studies and is still being used [ 9 , 10 ].…”