Establishing a campylobacter-free pig population through a top-down approach.
Fattening pigs are often infected with campylobacter. To eliminate campylobacter from the pig population, a top-down approach, involving the breeding and reproduction farms, seems appropriate. In order to investigate the effectiveness of a top-down approach, sows' faeces from the following farms were analysed for the presence of campylobacter: one specific pathogen free (SPF) farm, three top-breeding farms with no connection with SPF breeding, and a breeding farm repopulated with SPF sows after a period of vacancy (farm 5). The faeces samples from the SPF farm were free from campylobacter. The three top-breeding farms provided faeces samples which were 98% positive for campylobacter. However, only 22% of the faeces samples from farm 5 were positive for campylobacter. In a period of 20 months, the percentage of sows infected with campylobacter on farm 5 did not significantly increase. Genetic typing with ERIC-PCR and RFLP of campylobacter isolates from one of the top-breeding farms and from farm 5 showed a high diversity of campylobacter types. The results suggest that a campylobacter-free pig population can be established in breeding farms by combining a top-down approach (campylobacter-free top-breeding farms) with a strict regime of hygiene management.
Weijtens
M J
MJ
Department of the Science of Food of Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. m.j.b.m.weijtens@cable.a2000.nl
Urlings
H A
HA
Van der Plas
J
J
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial