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Gambino M, Kushwaha SK, Wu Y, van Haastrecht P, Klein-Sousa V, Lutz VT, Bejaoui S, Jensen CMC, Bojer MS, Song W, Xiao M, Taylor NMI, Nobrega FL, Brøndsted L. Diversity and phage sensitivity to phages of porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0080724. [PMID: 38940562 PMCID: PMC11267873 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00807-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a diverse and poorly characterized E. coli pathotype that causes diarrhea in humans and animals. Phages have been proposed for the veterinary biocontrol of ETEC, but effective solutions require understanding of porcine ETEC diversity that affects phage infection. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of the PHAGEBio ETEC collection, gathering 79 diverse ETEC strains isolated from European pigs with post-weaning diarrhea (PWD). We identified the virulence factors characterizing the pathotype and several antibiotic resistance genes on plasmids, while phage resistance genes and other virulence factors were mostly chromosome encoded. We experienced that ETEC strains were highly resistant to Enterobacteriaceae phage infection. It was only by enrichment of numerous diverse samples with different media and conditions, using the 41 ETEC strains of our collection as hosts, that we could isolate two lytic phages that could infect a large part of our diverse ETEC collection: vB_EcoP_ETEP21B and vB_EcoS_ETEP102. Based on genome and host range analyses, we discussed the infection strategies of the two phages and identified components of lipopolysaccharides ( LPS) as receptors for the two phages. Our detailed computational structural analysis highlights several loops and pockets in the tail fibers that may allow recognition and binding of ETEC strains, also in the presence of O-antigens. Despite the importance of receptor recognition, the diversity of the ETEC strains remains a significant challenge for isolating ETEC phages and developing sustainable phage-based products to address ETEC-induced PWD.IMPORTANCEEnterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)-induced post-weaning diarrhea is a severe disease in piglets that leads to weight loss and potentially death, with high economic and animal welfare costs worldwide. Phage-based approaches have been proposed, but available data are insufficient to ensure efficacy. Genome analysis of an extensive collection of ETEC strains revealed that phage defense mechanisms were mostly chromosome encoded, suggesting a lower chance of spread and selection by phage exposure. The difficulty in isolating lytic phages and the molecular and structural analyses of two ETEC phages point toward a multifactorial resistance of ETEC to phage infection and the importance of extensive phage screenings specifically against clinically relevant strains. The PHAGEBio ETEC collection and these two phages are valuable tools for the scientific community to expand our knowledge on the most studied, but still enigmatic, bacterial species-E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Gambino
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Institute of Conservation, The Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Simran Krishnakant Kushwaha
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental & Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, India
| | - Yi Wu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, India
| | - Pauline van Haastrecht
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental & Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Victor Klein-Sousa
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Veronika T. Lutz
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Semeh Bejaoui
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Martin S. Bojer
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | | | - Nicholas M. I. Taylor
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Franklin L. Nobrega
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental & Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Lone Brøndsted
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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Ibragimov E, Eriksen EØ, Nielsen JP, Jørgensen CB, Fredholm M, Karlskov-Mortensen P. Towards identification of new genetic determinants for post-weaning diarrhea in piglets. Anim Genet 2024; 55:387-395. [PMID: 38343028 DOI: 10.1111/age.13406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Post-weaning diarrhea in pigs is a considerable challenge in the pig farming industry due to its effect on animal welfare and production costs, as well as the large volume of antibiotics, which are used to treat diarrhea in pigs after weaning. Previous studies have revealed loci on SSC6 and SSC13 associated with susceptibility to specific diarrhea causing pathogens. This study aimed to identify new genetic loci for resistance to diarrhea based on phenotypic data. In depth clinical characterization of diarrhea was performed in 257 pigs belonging to two herds during the first 14 days post weaning. The daily diarrhea assessments were used for the classification of pigs into case and control groups. Pigs were assigned to case and control groups based only on the incidence of diarrhea in the second week of the study in order to differentiate between differences in etiology. Genome-wide association studies and metabolomics association analysis were performed in order to identify new biological determinants for diarrhea susceptibility. With the present work, we revealed a new locus for diarrhea resistance on SSC16. Furthermore, studies of metabolomics in the same pigs revealed one metabolite associated with diarrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Ibragimov
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Esben Østergaard Eriksen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Jens Peter Nielsen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Claus B Jørgensen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Merete Fredholm
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Peter Karlskov-Mortensen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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Middelkoop A, Kettunen H, Guan X, Vuorenmaa J, Tichelaar R, Gambino M, Rydal MP, Molist F. Effect of dietary tall oil fatty acids and hydrolysed yeast in SNP2-positive and SNP2-negative piglets challenged with F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2060. [PMID: 38267615 PMCID: PMC10808182 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52586-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Reduction of post-weaning diarrhoea caused by ETEC is a principal objective in pig farming in terms of welfare benefits. This study determined the effects of genetic susceptibility and dietary strategies targeting inflammation and fimbriae adherence on F4-ETEC shedding and diarrhoea in weaned piglets in an experimental challenge model. A DNA marker test targeting single nucleotide polymorphism 2 (SNP2) identified piglets as heterozygous (SNP2+, susceptible) or homozygous (SNP2-, resistant) to developing F4ac-ETEC diarrhoea. A total of 50 piglets, 25 SNP2+ and 25 SNP2-, were weaned at 30 days of age and equally distributed to different treatments (n = 10): Positive control (PC): piglets fed with a negative control diet and provided with colistin via drinking water; Negative control (NC): piglets fed with a negative control diet; Tall oil fatty acids (TOFA): piglets fed with a negative control diet + 1.0 g TOFA/kg feed; Yeast hydrolysate (YH): piglets fed with a negative control diet + 1.5 g YH/kg feed derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae; and Combination (COM): piglets fed with a negative control diet + 1.0 g TOFA and 1.5 g YH/kg feed. On day 10 post-weaning, all piglets were infected with F4-ETEC by oral administration. Piglets fed with PC, TOFA, YH or COM had a lower faecal shedding of F4-ETEC than NC piglets (P < 0.001), which was also shorter in duration for PC and TOFA piglets than for NC piglets (P < 0.001). Piglets in PC, TOFA, YH and COM had a shorter diarrhoea duration versus NC when classified as SNP2+ (P = 0.02). Furthermore, PC, TOFA and YH piglets grew more than NC and COM piglets in the initial post-inoculation period (P < 0.001). In addition, the level of faecal F4-ETEC shedding and the percentage of pigs that developed F4-ETEC diarrhoea (72 vs. 32%, P < 0.01) following infection were higher, and the duration of F4-ETEC diarrhoea longer (2.6 vs. 0.6 days, P < 0.001), in SNP2+ piglets than in SNP2- piglets, and led to reduced growth performance (P = 0.03). In conclusion, piglets fed with TOFA, YH or their combination, irrespective of their SNP2 status, are more resilient to F4-ETEC infection. Moreover, SNP2+ piglets show a higher level of F4-ETEC shedding and diarrhoea prevalence than SNP2- piglets, confirming an association between SNP2 and F4ac-ETEC susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Xiaonan Guan
- Schothorst Feed Research B.V., 8218 NA, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ramon Tichelaar
- Schothorst Feed Research B.V., 8218 NA, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - Michela Gambino
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Martin Peter Rydal
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Francesc Molist
- Schothorst Feed Research B.V., 8218 NA, Lelystad, The Netherlands
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Larsen C, Offersen SM, Brunse A, Pirolo M, Kar SK, Guadabassi L, Thymann T. Effects of early postnatal gastric and colonic microbiota transplantation on piglet gut health. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2023; 14:158. [PMID: 38143275 PMCID: PMC10749501 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-023-00954-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diarrhea is a major cause of reduced growth and mortality in piglets during the suckling and weaning periods and poses a major threat to the global pig industry. Diarrhea and gut dysbiosis may in part be prevented via improved early postnatal microbial colonization of the gut. To secure better postnatal gut colonization, we hypothesized that transplantation of colonic or gastric content from healthy donors to newborn recipients would prevent diarrhea in the recipients in the post-weaning period. Our objective was to examine the impact of transplanting colonic or gastric content on health and growth parameters and paraclinical parameters in recipient single-housed piglets exposed to a weaning transition and challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). METHODS Seventy-two 1-day-old piglets were randomized to four groups: colonic microbiota transplantation (CMT, n = 18), colonic content filtrate transplantation (CcFT, n = 18), gastric microbiota transplantation (GMT, n = 18), or saline (CON, n = 18). Inoculations were given on d 2 and 3 of life, and all piglets were milk-fed until weaning (d 20) and shortly after challenged with ETEC (d 24). We assessed growth, diarrhea prevalence, ETEC concentration, organ weight, blood parameters, small intestinal morphology and histology, gut mucosal function, and microbiota composition and diversity. RESULTS Episodes of diarrhea were seen in all groups during both the milk- and the solid-feeding phase, possibly due to stress associated with single housing. However, CcFT showed lower diarrhea prevalence on d 27, 28, and 29 compared to CON (all P < 0.05). CcFT also showed a lower ETEC prevalence on d 27 (P < 0.05). CMT showed a higher alpha diversity and a difference in beta diversity compared to CON (P < 0.05). Growth and other paraclinical endpoints were similar across groups. CONCLUSION In conclusion, only CcFT reduced ETEC-related post-weaning diarrhea. However, the protective effect was marginal, suggesting that higher doses, more effective modalities of administration, longer treatment periods, and better donor quality should be explored by future research to optimize the protective effects of transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Larsen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Simone Margaard Offersen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Anders Brunse
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Mattia Pirolo
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Soumya Kanti Kar
- Animal Nutrition, Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University & Research, 1 De Elst, 6708, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Luca Guadabassi
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Thomas Thymann
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlægevej 68, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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Rydal MP, Jørgensen CB, Gambino M, Poulsen LL, Nielsen JP. Complete association between CHCF1 genotype and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4ab-associated post-weaning diarrhea in a pig challenge trial. Vet Microbiol 2023; 282:109771. [PMID: 37150059 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2023.109771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) susceptibility in pigs is highly influenced by their genotype. The aim of this study was to determine the association between CHCF1 genotype and ETEC F4ab susceptibility in experimentally infected pigs. We investigated ETEC diarrhea development in CHCF1 heterozygous susceptible (RS) (n = 12 pigs) compared to CHCF1 homozygous resistant (RR) (n = 12 pigs) for six days after ETEC F4ab challenge. Afterwards, we genotyped with MUC4 and MUC13 markers to relate performance in identifying ETEC F4ab diarrhea susceptible pigs. In the CHCF1 RS group, 12/12 pigs developed ETEC diarrhea compared with 0/12 pigs in the CHCF1 RR group. Weight gain was lower in CHCF1 RS pigs compared with RR pigs (mean ± SD: 208 ± 323 g and 987 ± 615 g, p = 0.0007). Further, the shedding of hemolytic E. coli was significantly higher in CHCF1 RS pigs from 2 to 6 days post inoculation and they shed the challenge strain for more days (mean ± SD: 3.5 ± 1.6 days versus 0.5 ± 0.5 days, p < 0.0001). Twelve pigs with ETEC diarrhea were misclassified as resistant with the MUC4 marker and four pigs without ETEC diarrhea were misclassified as susceptible with the MUC13 marker. We found complete association between CHCF1 genotype and ETEC diarrhea development in pigs from a herd with Danbred genetics. The CHCF1 marker was more likely to determine the true host susceptibility to ETEC F4ab than the other markers. The marker shows potential for improving reliability of PWD challenge models and potentially for use in breeding for ETEC F4ab/ac resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Peter Rydal
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Claus Bøttcher Jørgensen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Michela Gambino
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Louise Ladefoged Poulsen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Jens Peter Nielsen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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