Molecular serogrouping of porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from Australia

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common etiological agent of neonatal, pre and post weaning diarrhoea in piglets. One of the most important steps in the diagnosis and epidemiological understanding of this organism is accurate serogrouping. In many instances, however, conventional serogrouping fails to produce accurate identification of serogroups. In this communication we report a modified and simplified molecular serogrouping method (rfb-RFLP) for the accurate identification of the most common porcine ETEC strains that cause neonatal, pre and post weaning diarrhoea in Australia.

► Report the development of modified and simplified molecular serogrouping of Escherichia coli. ► This allows for discrimination of O8/O9 from other serogroups. ► This method can be used on both smooth and rough E. coli strains. ► Modified method will enable the effective diagnosis and treatment of porcine E. coli infections.