Toxigenic Escherichia coli in Spanish piggeries from 1986 to 1991.
Four-hundred and fourteen faecal samples from pigs with diarrhoea, oedema disease or healthy pigs, were collected from 65 piggeries located in different areas of Spain from 1986 to 1991. A total of 1334 Escherichia coli cultures were isolated from the pigs and studied for production of heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (STa) enterotoxins, verotoxin (VT) and for type 1 (CNF1) and type 2 (CNF2) cytotoxic necrotizing factors. Strains producing enterotoxins (P < 0.001) or verotoxin (P < 0.05) were associated with enteric diseases of pigs. In the majority (82.3%) of piglets with strains, producing verotoxin the strains were also positive for production of STa enterotoxin. The most frequent toxin detected was STa. Although we isolated strains producing CNF1 from 1.5% of sick pigs, they were not statistically associated (P < 0.7) with enteric disease. Pigs may constitute a natural reservoir of CNF1 producing E. coli strains in Spain; their presence in the porcine intestine may be of significance in public health because such strains have been associated with human extraintestinal infections.
Garabal
J I
JI
Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago Campus de Lugo, Spain.
Gonzalez
E A
EA
Vazquez
F
F
Blanco
J
J
Blanco
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D004488:Edema Disease of Swine / Q000382:microbiology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D013030:Spain; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D014709:Vero Cells
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; C086995:cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 2; C034151:heat stable toxin (E coli); C060296:cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1; C027538:heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli