Prevalence and Diversity of Toxigenic Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium difficile among Swine Herds in the Midwest

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium difficile are associated with scours in the neonatal piglet and are an economic concern in swine production. The objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence and diversity of C. perfringens and C. difficile isolates obtained from scouring neonatal piglets in a large integrated production system, as well as in smaller independently owned regional farms. Rectal swabs were collected from 333 pigs at 11 sites in an integrated swine production system and from an additional 180 pigs at 16 regional farms located throughout the Midwest. C. perfringens was isolated from 89.8% of the pigs swabbed at the integrated sites, and C. difficile was isolated from 57.7% of these pigs. Of the pigs from the regional farms sampled, 95.6% were positive for isolation of C. perfringens and 27.2% were positive for C. difficile. Toxigenic isolates were typed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR, and were placed in four dendrograms for C. perfringens and C. difficile populations isolated from the integrated sites and regional farms. Diversity indices showed that there was greater diversity in C. difficile populations and in populations isolated from the regional farms. A subset of isolates from the C. difficile dendrograms were further toxinotyped by amplification of the pathogenicity locus and subsequent digestion by HincII, AccI, and EcoRI. Of the 45 isolates typed, 44 were determined to be toxinotype V. The results of this study illustrate the diversity of C. perfringens and C. difficile isolates and the prevalence of these pathogens in swine production sites.

<i>Clostridium difficile</i> Isolated from the Fecal Contents of Swine in Japan

“…Several studies have shown the difference in isolation frequencies of C. difficile among different-aged pigs. Isolation frequencies of C. difficile were relatively higher in piglets (23-55%) [1,2,10,15] than in growing or older pigs (0-15.9%) [5,12,14]. Since C. difficile is a cause of foodborne infection in humans, these evidences suggest low risk of C. difficile food contamination.…”

“…In pigs, C. difficile infection leads to severe fatal enteritis in suckling piglets, aged 1-7 days [15]. A high prevalence of C. difficile has been found in piglets [1,2,10,15], and the same has been reported in slaughter pigs [14]. In Japan, although C. difficile has been isolated from antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis in humans [8], little information is available on the presence of C. difficile in healthy food-producing animals.…”

“…Since C. difficile is a cause of foodborne infection in humans, these evidences suggest low risk of C. difficile food contamination. Alternatively, another study [2] suggested that farm size (less than 2,500 sows) can influence the prevalence of C. difficile. In the present study, most of the pig farms tested contained less than 300 sows with a farrow-to-finish operation ( Table 2).…”

Prebiotic and Probiotic Approaches to Improving Food Safety on the Farm and Their Implications on Human Health

“…While addition of DFMs to mature animals yields mixed and often negative results, their administration to livestock early in life (as early as the day of hatch in broilers) has been shown to be effective in reducing pathogenic bacterial loads by kick-starting the natural succession of commensal bacterial colonization of the gastrointestinal microflora [18]. In addition to the direct addition of probiotics to neonatal diets, passive immunity may also be conveyed to the neonate through supplementation of the dam before birth [45].…”

“…Bacillus species are Gram-positive bacteria that, in the spore stage, are resistant to acidic conditions (due to the enhanced spore coat that protects the bacteria through the stomach [56]) and have been shown to reduce pathogenic clostridial strains, such as C. difficile and C. perfringens [45,57]. When B. subtilis was administered to mature sows, nursing piglets at 3 days of age were shown to have increased ileal concentrations and piglets at 10 days of age were shown to have increased colonic concentrations of Lactobacillus gasseri or Lactobacillus johnsonii as well as decreased incidence of E. coli and C. perfringens [57].…”