The possibility of positive selection for both F18+ Escherichia coli and stress resistant pigs opens new perspectives for pig breeding

Abstract

F18+ Escherichia coli infections causing post-weaning diarrhoea and/or oedema disease are a major cause of economic losses in pig industry. To date, no preventive strategy can protect pigs from F18 + E. coli infections. One of the most attractive approaches to eliminate F18 + E. coli infections is the selection for pigs that are resistant to F18 + E. coli infections. However, this strategy was not believed to be favourable because of reports of genetic association with the stress-susceptibility gene in the Swiss Landrace. To investigate this potential association more thoroughly, 131 randomly selected Belgian hybrid pigs were genotyped for both the F18 + E. coli resistance alleles (FUT1 A ) and the stress-susceptibility alleles (RYR1 T ) and their association was investigated by determining the linkage disequilibrium. This linkage disequilibrium (LD = À 0.0149) is close to zero and does not differ significantly from 0 (likelihood ratio test x 2 1 ¼ 1:123, P = 0.29), demonstrating no association between the FUT1 A and RYR1 T alleles. Furthermore, only a small fraction (4.6%) of the Belgian pigs was found to be resistant to F18 + E. coli infections. Our results suggest that selection for F18 + E. coli resistant pigs might be an attractive approach to prevent pigs from F18 + E. coli infections, unlike to what has previously been postulated. #

Genetic variation at RYR1, IGF2, FUT1, MUC13, and KPL2 mutations affecting production traits in Chinese commercial pig breeds

“…We herein found very low r 2 values between the two loci in Duroc, Landrace, and Large White pigs (Table 3). This result is consistent with the report by Coddens et al (2008), allowing the possibility of combined selection for both F18 and stress-resistant pigs. …”

“…Meijerink et al (1997) reported strong linkage disequilibrium between the two loci by showing a 93% association between FUT1 A (favourable) and RYR1 T (unfavourable) alleles in Swiss Landrace pigs. In contrast, no linkage disequilibrium was found between the FUT1 and RYR1 loci in a Belgium pig population (Coddens et al, 2008). We herein found very low r 2 values between the two loci in Duroc, Landrace, and Large White pigs (Table 3).…”

“…Meijerink et al (1997) reported that no more than 5-10% of Swiss Landrace, Large White, and Duroc pigs are resistant to F18. In Belgian hybrid pigs, only a small fraction (4.6%) of animals is resistant to F18 infection (Coddens et al, 2008). In this study, 8.3% of Duroc pigs are homozygous resistant animals, while smaller proportions of resistant animals were found in Large White (0.7%) and Landrace (2.5%) pigs.…”

Implementation of a vaccine against Shigatoxin 2e in a piglet producing farm with problems of Oedema disease: case study

“…Because the most common adhesion factor by which EDEC bind to the enterocytes in the gut are the F18 fimbriae [1] geneticists have been trying to breed a F18-resistant pig for some years [7]. This may be an effective method to face the disease.…”

Major virulence factors of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in pigs

“…However, in contrast to these earlier findings, it has recently been reported that there is no association between the F18 + E. coli resistance allele and the stress-susceptibility allele in the Belgian pig population. Consequently, selection for breeding pigs with genetic resistance to F18 + E. coli infections can be considered (Coddens et al 2008). Since there is no available commercial vaccine against F18 + E. coli, this protective strategy against F18 + E. coli infections has the potential to be of great economical importance for the pig industry.…”