Molecular Detection and Characterization of Giardia duodenalis in Farmed Pigs in Three Provinces of Southern China.

Giardia duodenalis is a flagellated zoonotic parasite that can infect various animals and humans, causing economic losses in husbandry and detriments to public health. Although it has been reported in pigs worldwide, there are few reports on the prevalence and assemblages of G. duodenalis infection in pigs in China. In this study, the 396 pig fecal samples were randomly collected from seven farms in Zhejiang, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces in southern China, and were examined by means of the nested PCR amplification of ß-giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), and triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) for the detection of G. duodenalis. Overall, 21 fecal samples were positive for G. duodenalis, with a prevalence of 5.3%. Three risk factors are associated with G. duodenalis infection, namely, region, age and gender. Moreover, 13, six and two samples were successfully amplified at the bg, gdh and tpi gene loci, respectively. Three assemblages of G. duodenalis were identified, including assemblage E (n = 17), assemblage A (n = 3) and assemblage B (n = 1). Assemblage E was the dominating genotype and was distributed in three provinces. These assemblages of G. duodenalis have also been found in human beings, non-human primates, sheep, goats and cattle, which further reveals that farmed pigs pose a potential threat to public health.

A Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Choleraesuis outbreak in weaned piglets in Serbia: clinical signs, pathologic changes, and microbiologic features.

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Choleraesuis is rarely detected in Europe, but the clinical disease has been reported in wild boars. We describe here the clinical findings, pathologic changes, and microbiologic features of swine salmonellosis caused by S. enterica serovar Choleraesuis in weaned piglets in Serbia. In April 2019, on a large farrow-to-finish pig farm, increased mortality was reported in weaned piglets, marked by lethargy, anorexia, pyrexia, and respiratory distress. Gross pathology revealed dermal cyanosis, mesenteric lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, interstitial pneumonia, and colitis. By direct culturing of lung, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, S. enterica ser. Choleraesuis variant Kunzendorf was isolated after years of absence of the disease in pig farms in Europe. The source of this salmonellosis outbreak caused by S. enterica ser. Choleraesuis remains unknown.

Molecular detection and subtype distribution of Blastocystis in farmed pigs in southern China.

Blastocystis is one of the most common causative agents of intestinal diseases, which can cause enteric diseases in animals and humans. However, limited data is available on the prevalence or subtypes of Blastocystis infections in farmed pigs in southern China. In this study, a total of 396 fecal samples were collected from farmed pigs in three provinces in southern China in 2016, and screened for Blastocystis by PCR amplification of the small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene fragment. One hundred and seventy (42.93%) of the examined fecal samples were detected Blastocystis-positive, and two known zoonotic subtypes ST1 and ST5 were identified, with ST5 being the predominate subtype. Moreover, gender, age and region were considered as risk factors that associated with Blastocystis infection in farmed pigs. The present study revealed the prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis infections in farmed pigs in southern China, which provided essential data for the control of Blastocystis infections in pigs, other animals and humans in China.

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus among Farmed Pigs, Ukraine.

An outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea occurred in the summer of 2014 in Ukraine, severely affecting piglets <10 days of age; the mortality rate approached 100%. Full genome sequencing showed the virus to be closely related to strains reported from North America, showing a sequence identity of up to 99.8%.