McKean: Nutritional interventions for E. coli in nursery pigs

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common pathogen in young pigs. Over the years, the use of vaccinations and natural planned exposure methods have been employed in both the nursery and sow facilities to control potential outbreaks. In the last few years, the swine industry has seen an increase in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) outbreaks and organism virulence. Furthermore, the timing of the outbreak has changed from the early nursery phases to mid- and late- nursery phases. Clinical symptoms will start between the second- and third-week post-weaning with watery diarrhea that can extend over the period of multiple days. Mortality rates can increase from 2% up to over 20% with further complications of increased morbidity and reduced growth rates. Nutritional interventions can be utilized to minimize ETEC infections. It is important to utilize these techniques with the guidance of a nutritionist. The goal when mitigating a potential infection is to minimize inflammation while pre