Persistence and Spread of Gastro-Intestinal Infections: the Case of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in Piglets

Abstract

Several gastro-intestinal infections in animal husbandry not only greatly reduce the well-being of animals, but also have the potential to cause large economical damage. Understanding of the dynamics of such diseases is thus of great importance. In this paper, we focus on within-host dynamics and present a model describing the dynamics of pathogens in the intestine of a single host. Our motivation to study the problem stems from the case of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in newly weaned piglets, but the models we present offer an acceptable description of within-host dynamics of several other gastro-intestinal infections. We begin by studying the case where infection is a one-time event and derive an explicit expression for the distribution of pathogens inside the intestine at an arbitrary time after the infection took place. Since farm animals often come into contact with faeces, we furthermore investigate the reinfection case, in which a fraction of the shed pathogens is reintroduced into the intestine. We find the condition that guarantees persistence of colonization in the reinfection case and determine when the microbial distribution in the intestine obeys the so called asynchronous exponential growth. We outline possibilities for infection control and point out some challenges for further research on the subject.

Identification of microRNAs regulating Escherichia coli F18 infection in Meishan weaned piglets

“…Previous studies have confirmed that the E. coli F18 strain is the main pathogen responsible for porcine post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) [11]. Via its fimbriae, ETEC F18 pathogen adheres to the surface of epithelial cells of the small intestines of piglets and binds to specific receptors in the brush border membrane host intestinal mucosa, leading to colonization, replication and production of enterotoxin and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) [12].…”

Transcriptional Activity of the FUT1 Gene Promoter Region in Pigs

“…These diseases are responsible for tremendous damage and economic losses in the pig industry [1]. Some molecular genetic studies by both national and international researchers have investigated the factors determining immunological resistance of pigs to ETEC F18.…”

Persistence in a Single Species CSTR Model with Suspended Flocs and Wall Attached Biofilms

“…Although this describes the system for which the model was originally developed (the mammalian gut) relatively well, it appears too simplistic for biofilm systems, where the wall attached bacteria can grow in thick layers in which concentration gradients can develop, and where the colonization surface is not limiting the capacity for wall attachment. A greatly simplified version of the Freter model has been used for description and analysis of gastro-intestinal E coli infections [7]. In this study we revisit the Freter model for a CSTR.…”