The associated effect of microorganisms on the intestine provokes the development of persistent inflammation and complicates the treatment process, and in some cases, can lead to the death of the animal. Therefore, it is important to study the prevalence of various enteropathogenic microorganisms in fattening pigs and determine their associations. Therefore, the project ‘Ensuring Animal Health in Ukraine’ provided for comprehensive laboratory studies involving more than 300 fattening pigs from 20 enterprises from different regions of Ukraine to identify which enteric pathogens are common in the herds of domestic pig farms.
As a result, it was found that the most common pathogens were S. pneumoniae, microorganisms of the genus Brachyspira and enterotoxigenic forms of E. coli, which were recorded in 14% and 12% of the samples, respectively. Lawsonia intracellularis was detected less frequently.
The least common microorganism was Salmonella enterica, which is probably due to the ability of the pathogen to sublate colonise the body and the short period of excretion of the pathogen in the faeces.
Thus, according to the microbiological analysis of intestinal pathogens in fattening pigs, the main pathogens are various strains of E. coli, which make up a significant part of the microflora associated with gastric infections.
Read more about the research and its results in the article ‘Results of monitoring of intestinal pathogens and their resistance in fattening pigs’ in the October issue of Profitable Pig Production magazine, No. 5 (83).
The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders is a non-profit, voluntary organisation founded by domestic pork producers. The main goals of the association are to represent and protect the rights and interests of the association's farms, promote the development and implementation of new technologies for efficient pork production, expand sales markets, and protect the domestic market.
