The recent addition of E. coli PCR genotyping to the SHIC-funded Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report continues to show support towards evidence-based herd health decision-making across the US pork industry. E. coli is a significant pathogen in swine, most frequently associated with neonatal and post-weaning diarrhea. With the inclusion of E.coli in the Swine Disease Reporting System published in monthly SHIC communications, producers, veterinarians, and researchers now gain access to real-time surveillance data on one of the most important and complex pathogens affecting pigs today.
Find the industry summary for Swine Health Information Center project #24-017 here.
Dr. Giovani Trevisan, co-principal investigator with Dr. Daniel Linhares for the SDRS at Iowa State University, explained, “The decision to add E. coli was in response to requests from the SDRS Advisory Board and multiple stakeholders in the industry. E. coli is a significant and complex pathogen affecting swine health, responsible for a wide range of diseases. The SHIC Swine Bacterial Disease Matrix ranks E. coli as the 5th most prioritized and clinically important bacterium for the US pork industry, with a score of 21.7, second only by a narrow margin to the 21.8 score for M. hyopneumoniae. That ranking underscores how concerning it truly is.”
Understanding and Reporting on this Significant Pathogen
E. coli remains a challenge for bacterial disease management within swine populations because of its diverse pathotypes and its capacity to cause severe economic loss. Its clinical manifestations range from post-weaning diarrhea to edema disease, conditions that can undermine welfare while also inflating production costs. For years, stakeholders have recognized the value of broader surveillance of this pathogen. With the integration of E. coli into the SHIC monthly reports, this information is now available for producers and veterinarians to use in the management of E. coli challenges.
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