Prevalence of fimbrial antigen (K88 variants, K99 and 987P) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from neonatal and post-weaning piglets with diarrhea in Central China.

摘要

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is a major cause of diarrhoea in neonatal and postweaning piglets. To determine the most common fimbrial antigens of ETEC in piglets with diarrhoea, two investigations were carried out on intensive pig farms in Hubei, China. Between 2002 and 2003, a total of 227 faecal samples from neonatal and postweaning piglets with diarrhoea were tested for the presence of the fimbrial antigen K88 and K99 of ETEC by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). 23 (10.1%) of 227 faecal samples were found to contain fimbrial antigen K88 which was identified as K88ac variant; and 13 (5.7%) samples contained K99. In 2004, another 179 faecal samples from diarrhoeic piglets, 1-day to 6-week-old, were tested for the prevalence of fimbrial antigen K88, K99 and 987P. 47 (26.3%) of the 179 samples had at least 1 of the ETEC fimbrial antigens. K88 antigen was detected in 20.1%. In 36 samples known to carry fimbrial antigen K88, 32 (88.9%) contained K88ad; and 4 (11.1%) contained K88ac; none of them carried K88ab. Fimbrial antigens K99 and 987P were detected in 1.1% and 6.1%, respectively. Our data indicate that K88 is the most common fimbrial antigen of ETEC associated with diarrhoea in piglets of Central China..