Bacteriophages as antimicrobial agents against major pathogens in swine: a review

In recent years, the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria has become a global concern which has prompted research into the development of alternative disease control strategies for the swine industry. Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) offer the prospect of a sustainable alternative approach against bacterial pathogens with the flexibility of being applied therapeutically or for biological control purposes. This paper reviews the use of phages as an antimicrobial strategy for controlling critical pathogens including Salmonella and Escherichia coli with an emphasis on the application of phages for improving performance and nutrient digestibility in swine operations as well as in controlling zoonotic human diseases by reducing the bacterial load spread from pork products to humans through the meat.     

Detection of Novel Reassortant Influenza A (H3N2) and H1N1 2009 Pandemic Viruses in Swine in Hanoi,Vietnam

From May to September 2013, monthly samples were collected from swine in a Vietnamese slaughterhouse for influenza virus isolation and serological testing. A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses and a novel H3N2 originating from reassortment between A(H1N1)pdm09 and novel viruses of the North American triple reassortant lineage were isolated. Serological results showed low seroprevalence for the novel H3N2 virus and higher seroprevalence for A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses. In addition, serology suggested that other swine influenza viruses are also circulating in Vietnamese swine.     

广东惠州生猪养殖现状调查及分析

惠州地处广东省珠江三角洲,近10多年城市化进程速度加快,城市人口增长迅速,随着人们生活水平不断提高,猪肉消费急速上升.同时,惠州也是广东省猪场最为集中的地区,是广东重要的肉猪、种猪生产基地.惠州地区规模生猪养殖发展之路更是广东省生猪养殖的一个缩影和风向标.通过深入基层调查,走访养殖户、屠宰场、大型养殖企业等,通过座谈交流、问卷调查和查阅生产记录的方式,对惠州不同规模生猪养殖发展现状及面临的主要问题进行了调查和分析.通过分析发现,中等规模的生猪养殖场（存栏500-2 999头）具有生产效益明显、环境容量合适、调整生产快、抗风险高和适合精细饲养等特点,比较适合目前惠州的生猪养殖发展.针对惠州面临的产业结构调整、划定动物禁养区等现实问题,本文提出应结合人文发展,完善行业标准,大力发展现代都市养殖模式-绿色生态园区的建议.     

旋毛虫肌幼虫排泄—分泌抗原诊断猪旋毛虫病的研究与应用

应用“ES”抗原和酶复合物对猪旋毛虫病进行了ELISA的诊断研究,其抗原是对Gamble(1984)的肌幼虫培养方法经过改进研制而成的.应用这种抗原和免疫制剂建立起来的酶联免疫吸附试验诊断方法,具有灵敏度高、特异性强、操作简便、容易判断等优点,改变了我国过去应用粗制虫体抗原诊断猪旋毛虫病的状况.通过对71头人工感染旋毛虫病猪血清的诊断,可获得100%的阳性检出率.对旋毛虫病流行区120万头猪的检测证明,患猪检出率达93—95%.对250头ELISA阳性猪与宰后检查对照,其诊断符合率为98%左右.     

猪舍夏季降温技术应用研究现状

叙述了国内外猪舍夏季降温技术研究与应用的现状及存在的问题，喷淋、湿垫—风机降温系统、细雾蒸发降温系统一般被应用于降低猪舍内的高温。对于夏季降温技术研究应继续完善已有的降温方法在猪舍的应用，同时要开展针对我国气候特点及猪舍建筑实际的夏季降温方式，特别是南方炎热地区开放型猪舍的降温技术措施的研究。     

Serotype distribution and production of muramidase-released protein, extracellular factor and suilysin by field strains of Streptococcus suis isolated in the United States

Streptococcus suis is an important swine pathogen and a zoonotic agent. Differences in virulence have been noted among the 33 described serotypes, serotype 2 being considered the most virulent. In this study, we aimed at assessing the serotype distribution and the production of virulence-associated markers by strains recovered from diseased pigs in the United States (U.S.). Results showed that among the 100 strains evaluated, serotype 3 (20% of the isolates) and serotype 2 (17%) were the most prevalent. We then investigated the presence in these isolates of the genes sly, epf and mrp, encoding the virulence-associated markers suilysin (SLY), extracellular factor (EF) and muramidase-released (MRP) protein, respectively. The effective production of the markers by the strains was also verified. Results showed that the presence of the gene did not always correlate with actual expression of the respective protein. In the case of MRP, this was due, in most cases, to frameshift mutations at the 5′ end of the gene resulting in premature stop codons. The most prevalent phenotypes among U.S. strains were MRP⁺EF⁻SLY⁻ (40%) and MRP⁻EF⁻SLY⁺ (35%). Serotype distribution greatly differed from that reported in several European countries, as did the production of virulence markers, particularly for serotype 2. On the other hand, our results for the U.S. S. suis isolates are similar to those reported for Canadian strains, suggesting a common status in North America.     

High HEV presence in four different wild boar populations in East and West Germany

Swine Hepatitis E virus (HEV) can be transmitted from pigs to humans causing hepatitis. A high prevalence of HEV in wild boar populations is reported for several European countries, but actual data for Germany are missing. During the hunting season from October to December 2007 liver, bile and blood samples were collected from wild boars in four different German regions. The samples were tested for HEV RNA by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and anti-HEV IgG antibodies by two different ELISAs and a Line immunoassay. A seroprevalence of 29.9% using ELISA and 26.2% in the Line immunoassay was determined. The seroprevalence rate varied greatly within the analyzed regions. However, qPCR analysis revealed a higher prevalence of 68.2% positive animals with regional differences. Surprisingly, also adult wild sows and wild boars were highly HEV positive by qPCR. Compared to liver and serum samples, bile samples showed a higher rate of positive qPCR results. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of a 969 nt fragment within ORF 2 revealed that all isolates clustered within genotype 3 but differed in the subtype depending on the hunting spot. Isolates clustered within genotypes 3i, 3h, 3f and 3e. Within one population HEV isolates were closely related, but social groups of animals in close proximity might be infected with different subtypes. Two full-length genomes of subtypes 3i and 3e from two different geographic regions were generated. The wild boar is discussed as one of the main sources of human autochthonous infections in Germany.     

Multilocus sequence typing as a tool for studying the molecular epidemiology and population structure of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme to study the molecular epidemiology of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, the aetiological agent of swine dysentery. Sequences of seven conserved genomic loci were examined in 111 B. hyodysenteriae strains. Fifty-eight of these previously had been analysed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), and for some the results of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) and/or serotyping also were available. The discriminatory power of these methods was compared. The strains were divided into 67 sequence types (STs) and 46 amino acid types (AATs) by MLST. The Index of Association value was significantly different from zero, indication that the population was clonal. Eleven clonal complexes (Cc) comprising between 2 and 10 STs were recognised. A population snapshot based on AATs placed 77.5% of the isolates from 30 of the AATs into one major cluster. The founder type AAT9 included 13 strains from nine STs that were isolated in Australia, Sweden, Germany and Belgium, including one from a mallard. The MLST results were generally comparable to those produced by MLEE. The MLST system had a similar discriminatory power to PFGE, but was more discriminatory than REA, MLEE or serotyping. MLST data provided evidence for likely transmission of strains between farms, but also for the occurrence of temporal “micro-evolution” of strains on individual farms. Overall, the MLST system proved to be a useful new tool for investigating the molecular epidemiology and diversity of B. hyodysenteriae.     

不同杂交组合商品猪的肥育性能与胴体品质研究

本研究选用二元长大（L×Y）、三元杜长大（D×LY）、四元皮杜长大（PD×LY）三个杂交组合猪群为实验动物,进行生长发育性能、胴体品质性状测定,旨在为优质肉高效配套杂交组合筛选提供理论依据。研究表明：PD×LY日增重、料肉比及屠宰率最优,日增重、屠宰率与L×Y差异显著（P〈0．05）;PD×LY眼肌面积、后腿比例分别为48．09cm2、34．23％,为三组合中最高,并与L×Y差异显著（P〈0．05）,与D×LY组差异不显著（P〉0．05）。