Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from pre- and post-weaned piglets:a snapshot survey of Australia

摘要

The Australian pig industry experiences outbreaks of pre- and post-weaning diarrhoea caused by Escherichia coli, which is linked to reduced growth rates, high medication costs and high levels of mortality and morbidity (Fairbrother et al. 2005). Antibiotics are often used for treatment at weaning but E. coli can develop resistance overtime. This is concerning for effective control of E. coli disease as well as abundance of antibiotic resistant strains in both humans and animals. The aim of this study was to isolate E. coli from healthy and sick piglets to determine resistance to antibiotics used in human medicine.