Swine industry: validated PCR-based method for detecting enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

[Excerpt] Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infections lead to significant costs for the swine industry worldwide. Bacterial fimbriae (F4/F5/F6/F18/F41) allow the adhesion of the bacteria to epithelial cells, and when both the immunological systems and the gut mic ro biota are poorly developed, ETEC colonizes and produces one or more enterotoxins (LT/ STa/ STb) that can have local and systemic effects. Therefore, it is of prime importance to monitor and characterize ETEC in the swine industry to develop mitigation strategies.[...]