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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #124651
Title: USE OF A DEFINED, PORCINE-ORIGIN COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION CULTURE TO PROTECT PIGLETS FROM DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH ENTEROTOXIGENIC E. COLI

Author
item Harvey, Roger
item Genovese, Kenneth - Ken
item Anderson, Robin
item DUNLAP, E
item Nisbet, David

Submitted to: Proceedings of Allen D Leman Swine Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/17/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Escherichia coli (EC) is one of the most important causes of diarrhea in piglets. Various serotypes of EC can induce disease and death in neonates or in piglets during the post-weaning period. Our laboratory has developed a defined, porcine-origin competitive exclusion culture as a potential intervention strategy. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the competitive exclusion culture (RPCF) for efficacy against an enterotoxigenic EC in neonatal piglets and to evaluate RPCF against enterotoxigenic EC disease under commercial swine production conditions. In the laboratory study, piglets were administered RPCF by oral gavage at 12 and 24 hours after birth and challenged 48 hours later with a 987P strain of EC. The RPCF-treated piglets had significantly (P<0.05) reduced mortality, fecal shedding, and gut colonization by EC when compared to controls. Mortality in untreated pigs was 17.5% whereas mortality was 4.4% in RPCF-treated pigs (2). In the field study, 1000 piglets were administered RPCF within 24 hours farrowing and were raised in a commercial swine production facility. An equal number of untreated piglets from the same farrowing barns were raised in the same nursery facilities. Production data of both groups were compared for 40 days post-weaning. The administration of RPCF significantly (P<0.10) increased post-weaning nursery weights and significantly (P<0.05) reduced mortality (14% versus 9%) from an F18 strain of EC. These data suggest that RPCF is effective in protecting both neonatal and post-weaned piglets against disease associated with enterotoxigenic EC.