The role of Escherichia coli in the etiology of piglet diarrhea in selected pig producing districts of central Uganda

Obala, Tonny; Arojjo, S.O.; Afayoa, Mathias; Ikwap, K.; Erume, Joseph

doi:10.4314/ajcem.v22i4.12

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The predominant occurrence of different virulent factors within phylogroup B2, F, and D may directly relate to their evolutionary fitness to establish and maintain themselves as well as cause infection. Similar virulence strains are shared and have been reported in animals potentiating the possibility of transmission to humans [71]. Like AMR, some of the virulence genes are carried on plasmids that further enhance their transmission [72][73][74].…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 62%

Resistome and virulome of high-risk pandemic clones of multidrug-resistant extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) isolated from tertiary healthcare settings in Uganda

Byarugaba,

Erima,

Wokorach

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Multi-drug resistant (MDR) globally disseminated extraintestinal pathogenic high-risk Escherichia coli (ExPEC) clones are threatening the gains in bacterial disease management. In this study, we evaluated the genomic structure including the resistome and virulome of the E. coli isolates from extraintestinal infections using whole genome sequencing (WGS). The results highlight that isolates were highly resistant (≥ 90.0%) to commonly used antibiotics (Ampicillin, Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, Nalidixic acid, and Piperacillin) and were less (<14%) resistant to last resort antibiotics; Imipenem (10.94%) and Meropenem (10.20%). A greater proportion of the E. coli isolates belonged to phylogroup B2 (30.52%) and phylogroup A (27.37%). The sequence types ST131 of phylogroup B2 (21.05%) and ST648 of phylogroup F (9.3%) were the dominant pandemic high-risk clones identified in addition to the ST1193, ST410, ST69, ST38, ST405, and ST10. Many of the isolates were MDR and most (64.58%) carried the blaCTX-M-15 gene for extended-spectrum β-lactamases. There was a high correlation between phylogroups and the occurrence of both antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. The cephalosporin-resistance gene blaEC-5 was only found in phylogroup B2 while blaEC-8 and blaEC-19, were only found within phylogroup D and phylogroup F respectively. Aminoglycoside gene (aadA1) was only associated with phylogroups D and C. The isolates were armed with a broad range of virulence genes including adhesins, toxins, secreted proteases, iron uptake genes, and others. The yfcv, chuA, and kpsE genes preferentially occurred among isolates of phylogroup B2. The study underlines the predominance of MDR internationally disseminated high-risk ExPEC clones with a broad range of virulence genes known to be highly transmissible in healthcare and community settings.

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Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 62%

Resistome and virulome of high-risk pandemic clones of multidrug-resistant extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) isolated from tertiary healthcare settings in Uganda

Byarugaba,

Erima,

Wokorach

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…Among non-infectious factors stress, poor husbandry and nutrition can contribute to an animal's susceptibility to disease (Vidal et al, 2019). In Uganda, Wilfred et al (2018) confirmed the occurrence of PCV2 infections in pigs with persistent diarrhea, while a study by Obala et al (2021) reported the role of Escherichia coli in piglet diarrhea and mortalities on pig farms. Given that many pathogens are spread by the oral-fecal route, the high proportion of dirty pigs reflecting poor hygiene could have significant welfare and production consequences.…”

Section: Health Conditions Of Sows and Other Classes Of Pigs (Mortali...mentioning

confidence: 88%

The Status of Pig Welfare in Selected Districts of Uganda: Implications for Health and Productivity Interventions

Dione¹,

Oba

Nsadha

et al. 2022

Front. Anim. Sci.

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We conducted a pig welfare survey in four high pig producing districts in central Uganda, namely Masaka, Mukono, Mpigi, and Wakiso in 2021. Data were collected from 270 pig farms, and a total of 3,561 pigs, and consisted of resource-based (housing and water supply), animal-based (pig body condition and physical injuries), and management-based (records of morbidity and mortality) indicators of pig health and welfare. Data on animal and resource-based indicators were obtained from physical assessments of pigs and farm facilities, while management indicators and demographic details were collected by farmer interview. Across all farms, sow mortality in the last 12 months was reported to be 2.5% (95% Confidence Interval: 1.7, 4.8%). Animal-based indicators identified 9% (6.1, 13.7%) of sows with scouring/diarrhea, 7.6% (4.7, 11.5%) with lameness and 92% (85.1, 96.7%) of dry or lactating sows were found to be “skinny” with a body condition score of 1 or 2. In addition, piglet mortality was as high as 10.2% (8.5, 12.9%). A total of 19% of sows were partially or completely restricted from free movement inside pens. Ninety-three per cent of sows had continuous access to water, but only 48.8% of the water supplies were clean. Twenty per cent of farms reported sows experiencing stillbirths , 15% reported ill thrift, 12.5% reported respiratory disease and 10.8% reported gastrointestinal disease. Wakiso district registered the lowest pig mortality which was significantly lower compared to the other three districts. This study reveals that Ugandan pigs are exposed to severe undernutrition, dirty water, high mortality, physical injuries, poor housing, and health challenges (stillbirth, ill thrift, and Gastrointestinal disorders). Meaningful change to farmer livelihoods and pig welfare can be made by designing simple interventions that target improve housing structures, provision of cooling facilities especially during hot periods (heat stress) and bedding materials. The findings also represent a benchmark for the assessment of the effect of such interventions designed to improve farm health and productivity.

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Molecular characterization of Escherichia coli virulence markers in neonatal and postweaning piglets from major pig-producing districts of Uganda

Tusiime,

Mwiine,

Afayoa

et al. 2024

BMC Vet Res

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Background Piggery production is highly constrained by diseases, with diarrhoea in piglets being a major cause of economic losses to smallholder farmers in Uganda. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is thought to be one of the major etiologies of this diarrhoea. A cross-sectional study was carried out in two high pig-producing districts of Uganda with the aim of determining the significance of piglet diarrhoea and the pathogenic determinants of causative E. coli. Methodology A total of 40 households with piglets were visited in each district for a questionnaire survey and faecal sample collection. The questionnaire-based data collected included; demographic data and pig management practices. E. coli were isolated from diarrheic (43) and non-diarrheic (172) piglets and were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing against nine commonly used antimicrobial agents. The E. coli isolates were further screened for the presence of 11 enterotoxin and fimbrial virulence gene markers using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Data entry, cleaning, verification and descriptive statistics were performed using Microsoft Excel. Statistical analysis to determine any association between the presence of virulence markers and diarrhea in piglets was done using SPSS software (Version 23), with a p value of less than 0.05 taken as a statistically significant association. Results Escherichia coli were recovered from 81.4% (175/215) of the faecal samples. All the isolates were resistant to erythromycin, and most showed high resistance to tetracycline (71%), ampicillin (49%), and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (45%). More than half of the isolates (58.3%) carried at least one of the 11 virulence gene markers tested. EAST1 was the most prevalent virulence marker detected (35.4%), followed by STb (14.8%). Expression of more than one virulence gene marker was observed in 6.2% of the isolates, with the EAST1/STa combination being the most prevalent. Three adhesins; F17 (0.6%), F18 (6.3%) and AIDA-I (0.6%) were detected, with F18 being the most encountered. There was a statistically significant association between the occurrence of piglet diarrhoea and the presence of the AIDA-1 (p value = 0.037) or EAST1 (p value = 0.011) gene marker among the isolates. Conclusion and recommendation The level of antimicrobial resistance among E. coli isolates expressing virulence markers were high in the sampled districts. The study established a significant association between presence of EAST1 and AIDA-I virulence markers and piglet diarrhea. Further studies should be carried out to elucidate the main adhesins borne by these organisms in Uganda and the actual role played by EAST1 in the pathogenesis of the infection since most isolates expressed this gene.

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The role of Escherichia coli in the etiology of piglet diarrhea in selected pig producing districts of central Uganda

Cited by 3 publications

References 16 publications

Resistome and virulome of high-risk pandemic clones of multidrug-resistant extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) isolated from tertiary healthcare settings in Uganda

Resistome and virulome of high-risk pandemic clones of multidrug-resistant extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) isolated from tertiary healthcare settings in Uganda

The Status of Pig Welfare in Selected Districts of Uganda: Implications for Health and Productivity Interventions

Molecular characterization of Escherichia coli virulence markers in neonatal and postweaning piglets from major pig-producing districts of Uganda

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