113 Pathogen shedding in feces of nursery swine

Abstract

Abstract Foodborne pathogens are a significant cause of disease in humans, and meat-producing animals are reservoirs for a variety of these pathogens. Consumption of contaminated meat or meat products is a major route for human infection, but indirect infection can arise from water and other foods contaminated with animal waste. Hence, reducing colonization and fecal shedding is important for sustaining a safe food chain and environment. Swine are potential reservoirs for several of the foodborne and related pathogens. Piglets can be colonized soon after birth, and the transition to the nursery is a stressful period. At farrowing, Campylobacter is a major pathogenic bacterium observed in feces of piglets, and infection can increase significantly during the nursery phase of production. Moreover, pathogen shedding has been associated with reduced performance. Dietary supplementation of carbodox with copper sulfate or lysozyme from egg whites has been shown to reduce Campylobacter shedding in piglets after weaning, but neither treatment significantly affected potentially pathogenic E. coli shedding. Supplementation with a commercial Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product had limited effect on pathogen shedding, whereas tiamulin had no significant effect. Nursery swine are prone to pathogen colonization, and there are dietary supplements shown to be effective for reducing shedding during this important phase of swine production.