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ABSTRACT.-Mazutti K., Locatelli-Dittrich R., Lunardon I., Kuchiishi S.S., Lara A.C., Zotti E. & Alberton G.C. 2013. Evaluation of the reagent test strips and microscopic examination of urine in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection in sows. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 33(9):1103-1108. Curso de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Medicina Veterinária, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Campus Curitiba, Rua Imaculada Conceição 1155, Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR 80215-901, Brazil. E-mail: kelly.mazutti@pucpr.brThe diagnosis of the urinary tract infection (UTI) in sows is usually performed by using reagent test strips, since it is a fast and practical method, and capable of being done at the farm. The microscopic examination of the urine is rarely used at the farm since it is a more time consuming and difficult technique. However, there are no studies on the accuracy of those two techniques for the UTI diagnosis on this species. This study aims to assess the accuracy of the reagent test strip and the urine microscopic examination in the diagnosis of ITU in sows, comparing them with the bacteriological examination of urine. In order to select the sows for this study, a chemical reagent test strip was carried out previously and a total of 139 sows were selected, 66 sows of which showed positivity to nitrite in the reagent test strip and 73 without nitrituria. Then, the next day, a new sample collection for performing a complete urinalysis was carried out from those 139 sows, which included physical, chemical, microscopic and microbiological examination of these urine samples. The results revealed that the nitrite test of the reagent strip showed 100% of specificity and 93% of sensitivity. The specificity of the microscopic examination for bacteriuria was 82% and the sensitivity was 100%. The UTI diagnosis by using reagent strips and/or the urine sediment test is reliable if compared to the urine bacteriological examination, which makes possible the rapid diagnosis of UTI in sows at the farm. RESUMO.-[Precisão da tira reagente e do exame microscópico da urina no diagnóstico de infecções do trato urinário em porcas.] O diagnóstico de infecção do trato urinário (ITU) em porcas geralmente é feito com o auxílio de tiras reagentes, por ser um método rápido, prático e passível de ser realizado na própria granja. O exame microscópico da urina raramente é utilizado em granjas por ser uma técnica mais demorada e trabalhosa. No entanto, não existem estudos sobre a precisão destas duas técni-cas no diagnóstico de ITU nesta espécie. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a precisão da tira reagente e do exame microscópico da urina no diagnóstico de ITU em porcas, comparando-os com o exame bacteriológico da urina. Para selecionar as porcas que iriam compor o estudo foi realizado um exame químico prévio com tira reagente, do qual foram selecionadas 139 porcas, 66 positivas para nitrito na tira reagente e 73 negativas. No dia seguinte foi realizada uma nova coleta de urina destas 139 porcas para realização d...

Influenza A virus (IAV) active surveillance in pigs prior to weaning is commonly conducted by collecting individual samples, mostly nasal swabs. Recently, the use of udder skin wipes collected from lactating sows was identified as an effective sampling method to indicate IAV status of suckling piglets prior to weaning. However, there is limited information on the effect of pooling multiple udder wipes on the ability to detect IAV. We evaluated the effect of pooling 3, 5, or 10 udder wipes on the sensitivity of detecting IAV and compared the results with testing the wipes individually. The likelihood of detecting positive udder wipes decreased with pooling when the initial positive cycle threshold value was ≥31.5; pooling of up to 3 samples could be performed without affecting sensitivity significantly. Our results support pooling of udder skin wipes to conduct surveillance of IAV in pigs prior to weaning.

Background: One of the most frequent health problems in the swine industry is the post-weaning diarrhea in nursery pigs, which leads to significant losses due to weight loss, dehydration, cost of medication and mortality. Escherichia coli  (E. coli) is one of the main bacterial agents of the post-weaning diarrhea. To investigate the possibility of enterotoxigenic  E. coli (ETEC) transmission through drinking water to nursery piglets, the objective of this study was to isolate, characterize by virulence factors, and compare the antimicrobial resistance profiles of E. coli from drinking water samples in nurseries and from rectal swabs of their piglets presenting post-weaning colibacillosis.Materials, Methods & Results: Fifteen rectal swabs from diarrheic piglets in their first three weeks after weaning and one water sample were collected from each of ten nurseries located in Rio Grande do Sul State, south of Brazil. After enrichment with a commercial broth medium, water samples were cultured in blood agar, as well as the rectal swab samples, and the characteristic colonies were identified by standard biochemical analysis. Following isolation and identification of E. coli, the colonies from water samples and their corresponding piglets’ samples were characterized by multiplex PCR in order to determine specific ETEC fimbria and toxin genes. Finally, all E. coli isolates were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Virulence factors and antimicrobial sensitivity could then be compared between water and piglets’ samples. The difference in the antimicrobial resistance frequency for each of the sample groups were compared using the multi comparison test. E. coli was isolated in four out of the ten water samples, although none of the water samples presented ETEC virulence factors. From 60 rectal swab samples (15 from each of the four positive farms with E. coli isolated from water samples), 21 E. coli were isolated and seven demonstrated characteristic ETEC virulence factors. The fimbriae exhibited in higher frequency were F18 (62.5%) and F4 (25%) and the toxins were STb (100%) and STaP (75%). E. coli isolated from water samples presented higher resistance to the antimicrobials apramycin, florfenicol, lincomycin, lincomycin+spectinomycin, oxytetracycline, and sulfamethoxazole+trimethoprim; it did not present resistance to colistin and fosfomycin. The seven ETEC from rectal swab samples presented a higher resistance to lincomycin, and lower resistance frequency to fosfomycin. The other 14 E. coli non-ETEC from rectal swab samples presented a higher resistance to florfenicol and no resistance to colistin.Discussion: Enterotoxigenic E. coli is an important agent causing post-weaning colibacillosis, although, differently from other studies, this experiment did not find the agent in most of the sampled animals. In contrast to other authors, ETEC was not found in water, as the development of its virulence factors may depend on conditions presented exclusively in the animal. By the results we can conclude that, although E. coli was isolated from the drinking water, it was not a significant mechanism for nursery piglets’ infection with ETEC in this experiment. The samples analyzed presented a wide range of resistance to different antimicrobials, including multi-resistance. In some cases, E. coli found in water presented different antimicrobial profile from the bacterium found in the rectal swab samples. Enterotoxigenic E. coli was susceptible to fosfomycin and its use may represent a prudent antimicrobial choice to the swine industry.

The aim of this study was to access the efficacy of four disinfectants to inactivate influenza A [H1N1] 0 hour and 72 hours after disinfectant dilution. A pandemic H1N1 influenza virus isolated from a pig with respiratory disease was used to obtain inoculums containing 6.4log10 EID50/mL; 5.4log10 EID50/mL; 4.4log10 EID50/mL and 3.4log10 EID50/mL. Suspension test was composed of 400μL of viral inoculum, 100μL of organic load and 500μL of each individually diluted disinfectant and incubated for ten minutes of contact time. After a neutralizing step, each mixture was filtered on a 0.22μm membrane and 0.2mL was inoculated in six 9-day-old embryo chicken egg through allantoic route. The allantoic fluid from eggs was harvest for RT-PCR and hemagglutination test. The experiment was repeated 72 hours after disinfectant dilution. On the first assessment with fresh disinfectant, influenza virus was inactivated by oxidizing compost disinfectant and phenolic disinfectant in all virus concentrations, the quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) and glutaraldehyde association inactivated the virus up to a concentration of 5.4log10 EID50/mL. QAC disinfectant did not eliminate virus viability. Seventy-two hours after disinfectants were diluted, oxidizing compost disinfectant and QAC and glutaraldehyde association disinfectant demonstrated the same result as the evaluation with fresh disinfectant solution. Phenolic disinfectant inactivated viral inoculum up to a concentration of 5.4log10 EID50/mL. QAC had no effect on inactivating 3.4log10 EID50/mL of influenza virus. In conclusion, three of the four disinfectants tested were effective to inactivate pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in the presence of organic load. Test result performed 72hours after disinfectant dilution suggest a decrease in the effectiveness of one disinfectant.