Virulence Genes and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Hemolytic and Nonhemolytic Escherichia coli Isolated from Post-Weaning Piglets in Central Thailand

The purpose of this study was to compare the existence of virulence genes in hemolytic Escherichia coli (HEC) and non-hemolytic E. coli (NHEC) isolated from weaner pigs in Thailand, and to determine their susceptibility to 10 antimicrobial agents. A total of 304 E. coli isolates were obtained from 90 piglets with diarrhea and 110 healthy piglets. Of these, 74 HEC isolates were obtained from 70 pies with diarrhea, and 4 were obtained from 4 healthy pigs, while 190 and 40 NHEC were recovered from 110 healthy and 20 pies with diarrhea, respectively. A ten digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled probe system was utilized for detecting genes encoding virulence-associated toxins and proteins in these isolates, and the minimal inhibitory concentration values against 10 antimicrobials were determined by means of the agar dilution technique. In total, 70.3% of the HEC isolates contained an exotoxin gene, lth, estp or stx2e, whereas 2.6% of the NHEC isolates hybridized with a gene probe for estp or stx2e. Over 90% of the isolates were resistant to most agents other than colistin and halquinol. The MIC90 values of the HEC isolates for halquinol and colistin were 4 and 8 times greater than those of the NHEC isolates, respectively. The results represent the first characterization of resistant pathogenic E. coli distributed in the Thai pig industry. Amongst the HEC isolates, there appeared to be an association between the presence of some exotoxin genes, including lth, estp and stx2e, and reduced antimicrobial susceptibility.