Epidemiology of typical and atypical rotavirus infections in New Zealand pigs

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were employed to investigate the epidemiology of typical and atypical rotavirus infections in five piggeries. Of 152 faecal samples examined, 46 (30 per cent) were positive by ELISA for group A rotavirus. Rotaviruses with electrophoretic patterns resembling groups A, B and C were detected. At least two and up to five different rotavirus electrophoretypes (typical and/or atypical) were detected in each of the five piggeries. Out of 152 faecal samples examined, 28 (18 per cent) contained rotaviruses with group A electrophoretypes, 9 (6 per cent) with group C but only 1 with Group B. Six samples contained both group A and group C rotaviruses. No common electrophoretypes of group A or C rotaviruses were detected in these five piggeries. The PAGE technique was also used to analyze group A rotavirus isolated sequentially from another piggery over a three year period. A single electrophoretype was found during the first two years, but in the third year a different electrophoretype was detected.     

Relative prevalence of typical and atypical strains among rotaviruses from diarrheic pigs in conventional swine herds

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was conducted on genomic RNA extracted from rotaviruses detected in diarrheic pigs from conventional swine herds. Ninety samples contained sufficient virus for RNA band visualization and genome classification. Genome profiles were characteristic of typical group A rotaviruses in 67.8% of the 90 samples, of group B rotaviruses in 10.0%, and of group C rotaviruses in 11.1%. In 11.1% of the samples, the presence of more than 11 bands suggested concurrent infection with more than 1 strain of rotavirus. In infections among nursing pigs, 76.4% were group A rotaviruses, 7.4% were group B, 7.4% were group C, and 8.8% were coinfections. In infections among weaned pigs, 40.9% were group A, 18.2% were group B, 22.7% were group C, and 18.2% were coinfections. Coelectrophoresis with prototype OSU and Gottfried strains revealed a great diversity in electropherotype among field strains of rotavirus.     

Epidemiology of typical and atypical rotavirus infections in New Zealand pigs

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were employed to investigate the epidemiology of typical and atypical rotavirus infections in five piggeries. Of 152 faecal samples examined, 46 (30 per cent) were positive by ELISA for group A rotavirus. Rotaviruses with electrophoretic patterns resembling groups A, B and C were detected. At least two and up to five different rotavirus electrophoretypes (typical and/or atypical) were detected in each of the five piggeries. Out of 152 faecal samples examined, 28 (18 per cent) contained rotaviruses with group A electrophor etypes, 9 (6 per cent) with group C but only 1 with Group B. Six samples contained both group A and group C rotaviruses. No common electrophoretypes of group A or C rotaviruses were detected in these five piggeries. The PAGE technique was also used to analyze group A rotavirus isolated sequentially from another piggery over a three year period. A singIe electrophoretype was found during the first two years, but in the third year a different electrophoretype was detected.     

Group A rotavirus excretion patterns in naturally infected pigs

Cross-sectional and cohort studies were conducted in a piggery to investigate the excretion pattern of group A rotavirus in pigs. The cross-sectional survey revealed that 47 (9 per cent) of 521 pigs sampled were excreting rotavirus in the faeces. No rotavirus antigen was detected in the faeces of pigs either less than one week or over two months old. The prevalence of infection increased with age over the sucking period, and was greatest at five weeks old. Diarrhoea was observed in only eight (17 per cent) of the pigs excreting rotavirus. Sixteen piglets from four litters were selected and faecal samples collected daily from each animal from birth to two months old. All the piglets excreted group A rotavirus and the range of ages at which they first became infected was between 13 and 39 days. The average duration of excretion in individual piglets was 7.4 days. Ten of 13 sucking piglets which excreted rotavirus developed diarrhoea soon after it was first detected.     

Detection and survival of group A rotavirus in a piggery

Samples of dust, faeces and effluent were collected from a piggery and examined for group A rotavirus, using a commercial ELISA test, electron microscopy and inoculation of MA-104 cells. Rotavirus antigen was demonstrated in samples collected from farrowing and weaner rooms but not from fattener and sow houses. Rotavirus antigen was also detected in samples collected from a weaner room which had been free of piglets for three months. A cytopathic porcine rotavirus (British isolate SW20/21) was kept at room temperature for four months; it survived with titres reduced by 2 log10. These observations suggest that the environment of commercial piggeries is an important source of rotaviral infection for young piglets.     

Epidemiology and control of Menangle virus in pigs

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology and eradication of Menangle virus infection in pigs. DESIGN: Field observations and interventions, structured and unstructured serological surveys, prospective and cross-sectional serological studies and laboratory investigations. PROCEDURE: Serum samples were collected from pigs at a 2600-sow intensive piggery in New South Wales that experienced an outbreak of reproductive disease in 1997. Serum samples were also collected from piggeries that received pigs from or supplied pigs to the affected piggery and from other piggeries in Australia. Serum and tissue samples were collected from pigs at piggeries experiencing reproductive disease in New South Wales. Sera and faeces were collected from grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) in the region of the affected piggery. Serum samples were tested for neutralising antibodies against Menangle virus. Virus isolation was attempted from faeces. RESULTS: Following the outbreak of reproductive disease, sera from 96% of adult pigs at the affected piggery, including sows that produced affected litters, contained neutralising antibodies against Menangle virus. Neutralising antibodies were also detected in sera from 88% of finisher pigs at two piggeries receiving weaned pigs from the affected piggery. No evidence of Menangle virus infection was found in other piggeries in Australia. In cross-sectional studies at the affected piggery, colostral antibodies were undetectable in most pigs by 14 to 15 weeks of age. By slaughter age or entry to the breeding herd, 95% of pigs developed high antibody titres (> or = 128) against Menangle virus in the virus neutralisation test. Menangle virus was eradicated from the affected piggery following a program of serological testing and segregation. Neutralising antibodies against Menangle virus were also detected in P poliocephalus from two colonies in the vicinity of the affected piggery. Two piggery workers were infected with Menangle virus. There was no evidence of infection in cattle, sheep, birds, rodents, feral cats and a dog at the affected piggery. CONCLUSIONS: Serological evidence of infection with Menangle virus was detected in pigs at a piggery that had experienced reproductive disease, in pigs at two associated piggeries and in fruit bats in the region of the piggery. Two humans were infected. The mode of transmission between pigs is unknown, but spread by faecal or urinary excretion is postulated. This virus can be eradicated by the segregation of pigs into discrete age groups.     

Epizootiology of bovine rotavirus infection.

Published information on rotaviruses as pathogens, the source of virus infection and the method of transmission of infection under normal conditions are reviewed. The antigenic differences between rotavirus isolates from children, calves, pigs, foals and mice are discussed. Bovine rotaviruses isolated in the USA and the UK were shown to be closely related antigenically and the US vaccine strain protected calves from challenge with the UK rotavirus. Nineteen normally reared calves, with 20 or more ZnSO4 units of serum delta globulin, were susceptible to rotavirus inoculation at two days of age. They developed diarrhoea, showed body weight loss but recovered. Three calves with less than 10 ZnSO4 units of serum delta globulin developed diarrhoea and died. In a serological survey of 654 adult cows and calves from three herds, between 2 per cent and 37 per cent of individuals in a group had low rotavirus antibody titres and were probably susceptible to rotavirus infection. These were found in all age groups of animals studied, whether or not the group had suffered a recent rotavirus epizootic. It was not possible to predict whether an epizootic would develop on the basis of a serological survey.     

Single and mixed infections of neonatal pigs with rotaviruses and enteroviruses: virological studies.

Three rotaviruses and three enteroviruses were isolated from pigs with diarrhea. The three enteroviruses and one of the rotaviruses were recovered from pigs infected with both viruses. Separation of rotaviruses and enteroviruses from tissues containing both viruses was effected by pancreatin treatment, terminal dilution, and inoculation onto different cell lines. The three rotaviruses were group A serotype 1, and the enteroviruses were serotypes 2, 3 and 7. Cell culture preparations of these six viruses were inoculated into colostrum-deprived neonatal pigs. All of the rotavirus and enterovirus isolates established intestinal and systemic infection and were shed in the feces after oral inoculation. Concurrent infection with both viruses resulted in only minor alteration of systemic distribution and did not alter fecal shedding of either virus.     

Neutralizing antibody to bovine rotavirus in various animal species

A total of 288 serum samples were collected from 12 species of animals in various localities of Japan from 1975 to 1977. Neutralizing antibody to bovine rotavirus was found in serum samples from all the species, viz., horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, chickens and human beings. The incidence of neutralizing antibody in titers of 1 : 2 or higher ranged from 31 to 100%, and high incidences exceeding 70% were obtained in horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, rabbits and human beings. High titers were most common in horses, cattle, sheep and pigs. These serological results suggest that rotaviruses occur commonly in these species of animals.     

Some aspects of nematode infection in pigs from small herds

Two traditionally maintained, small herds from southern Poland, with 8 and 12 sows, respectively, were surveyed coprologically during 2006-2007. In one of the herds, while deworming a group of sows with levamisole, faecal samples were collected on Day -7, Day 0 (the day of treatment) and Day 10, in order to assess the therapeutic effect of the drug. Coprological investigation was performed also in 26 fatteners originating from other small farms and slaughtered in a local abattoir, with their intestines washed through for the presence of roundworms. In both herds examined, Ascaris suum and Oesophagostomum spp. were prevalent, whilst Trichuris suis appeared only very rarely. Mainly fatteners, replacement gilts and young sows were highly infected with A. suum. The roundworm occurrence in 2- 3-week-old piglets, with the intensity of 300 eggs per gram of faeces (EPG), indicated the possibility of parasite transmission to offspring very early in age. The highest level of Oesophagostomum spp. infection was observed in sows, but weaners were also much affected. For the group of dewormed sows, the mean faecal egg count reduction (FECR) was estimated to be 77.1- 80.4%, suggesting the presence of resistant nodular worms. A very high false-positive A. suum egg counts found in slaughtered animals (240 to 320 EPG) testified to a high contamination level of the environment of small piggeries, as well. Since the reciprocal transmission of parasites between pigs and poultry might occur, it implies that the flocks should be raised separately.     

The prevalence of enteric pathogens in diarrhoeic thoroughbred foals in Britain and Ireland.

A survey of 77 normal and 326 diarrhoeic foals in Britain and Ireland from 1987 to 1989 revealed a significantly higher prevalence of Group A rotaviruses and Aeromonas hydrophila in diarrhoeic foals. The prevalence of cryptosporidia, potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Clostridium perfringens was similar in normal or diarrhoeic foals. Rotaviruses had a similar prevalence in all age groups of scouring foals up to three months of age, with an overall prevalence of 37 per cent among diarrhoeic foals. The number of cases of diarrhoea varied considerably from year to year, but in all three years of the survey rotavirus was a significant pathogen. A comparison of diagnostic tests for rotavirus in the faeces showed electron microscopy (EM) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to have similar sensitivity. The Rotazyme ELISA test kit was found to have the same sensitivity as a combination of EM and PAGE. A. hydrophila had an overall prevalence of 9 per cent among diarrhoeic foals, although its prevalence was higher in some age groups. A. hydrophila has not been established previously as a significant enteric pathogen in foals. Other putative pathogens found at very low prevalence were coronavirus, the putative picobirnavirus, Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. No evidence was found of synergistic effects between rotavirus, cryptosporidia and potentially pathogenic E. coli. Neither coccidia nor non-Group A rotaviruses were found in any of the samples examined.     

Propagation of human rotavirus in young dogs

Rotavirus of human origin which had been propagated in gnotobiotic pigs was successfully transmitted eight times in young dogs including once by contact. The infections caused no clinical diarrhoea or any other illness in the pups and all infected animals developed both complement fixing and neutralising antibody against rotavirus.A serological survey carried out on sera collected from 23 dogs demonstrated antibody against monkey SA 11 rotavirus, indicating that dogs are naturally infected with this virus.It is concluded that young dogs could play a role in the transmission and dissemination of rotaviruses.     

Enteric infections in veal calves: a longitudinal study on four veal calf units

Forty-five calves on four veal calf units were monitored during the first four weeks after their arrival. Faecal samples were collected on alternate days and screened for the presence of rotaviruses, bovine coronavirus, Cryptosporidium oocysts, K99 positive strains of E. coli and Salmonella spp. Rotaviruses and Cryptosporidium were the most commonly detected agents (78% and 60% respectively of the calves). Bovine coronavirus was detected in the faeces of 18% of the calves, whilst K99 positive E. coli was only found in 2 samples from one calf. Salmonella spp. were not isolated from any of the 646 faecal samples examined. Shedding of rotaviruses occurred in a bimodal pattern beginning in the first week of the survey. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected most frequently in the interval between the two peaks of rotavirus shedding. The presence of rotaviruses or Cryptosporidium oocysts in faeces was not strongly associated with scour, nor were combined infections with these agents or the cases of bovine coronavirus infection. The condition of the calves throughout the survey was generally satisfactory.     

Survey of internal parasites in Western Australian pig herds. 1. Prevalence

Between September 1982 and March 1984, 101 Western Australian piggeries with 15 or more sows were surveyed to determine the prevalence of internal parasites and examine the relationship between parasitism and management practices. Faecal samples were collected from 20 pigs in 4 age groups in randomly selected piggeries, and examined for the presence of eggs of helminth parasites and protozoan cysts. Evidence of nematode parasites was found in 79% of piggeries. Sows were more commonly affected than other classes of pigs with worm eggs being found in 68% of herds. Oesophagostomum spp was the most prevalent worm species, being found in pigs from 65% of piggeries and in sows in 60% of herds. Ascaris suum was the most common species of worm found in growing pigs. There was no evidence of infection with either Metastrongylus spp or Strongyloides spp in any of the herds sampled. Oocysts of coccidia were found in pigs from 56% of piggeries and Balantidium coli cysts were detected in pigs from 42% of piggeries sampled.     

Primary infection protects pigs against re-infection with Lawsonia intracellularis in experimental challenge studies

In two separate trials pigs were experimentally infected with Lawsonia intracellularis at 5-6 weeks of age followed by antibiotic treatment and resolution of the primary infection and then re-inoculated at 12-13 weeks of age. A treatment-control group of pigs received the primary infection and antibiotic treatment only, and served as control for the antibiotic treatment of the primary infection. A challenge-control group of pigs received the second inoculation dose only at 12-13 weeks of age to control infectivity of the challenge-dose and susceptibility of pigs to L. intracellularis at this age. Pigs were monitored for shedding of L. intracellularis in faeces by PCR, and for the development of antibodies and responses of acute phase proteins in serum. The presence of L. intracellularis antigen in the intestinal mucosa was examined in post mortem samples by immunohistochemistry. In both trials primary infected pigs were protected from infection after challenge inoculation as evidenced by absence of faecal shedding of L. intracellularis, lack of changes in acute phase protein concentrations after challenge and with low levels of bacterial antigen in the intestinal mucosa of re-inoculated pigs comparable to that of the treatment-control pigs. In contrast, challenge-control pigs shed L. intracellularis in faeces, had L. intracellularis antigen extensively present within all layers of the intestinal mucosa and developed a significant acute phase protein response in serum after the experimental infection. The acute phase protein response to L. intracellularis infection was detected as an increased rise in the serum concentrations of C-reactive protein and haptoglobin from day-6 post infection, and increased serum concentrations of haptoglobin were generally seen 2-3 weeks after inoculation both at 5-6 and 12-13 weeks of age. In conclusion substantial protection against L. intracellularis infection was found in the re-inoculated pigs in contrast to the development of infection in age-matched control pigs. The acute phase protein responses reflected both the observed protection against L. intracellularis infection upon secondary challenge and that increased resistance to the infection develops with age.