Table 5 Differential diagnosis of the main agents of post-weaning diarrhoea (modified from Martelli et al. 2013) [28]
From: Swine enteric colibacillosis: diagnosis, therapy and antimicrobial resistance
Disease/Etiological Agent | Age | Diarrhoea | Gross Lesions | Lethality | Laboratory diagnostic methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colibacillosis E.coli (ETEC, EPEC) | Most commonly post-weaning until 45–50 days | Yellowish, grey or slightly pink alkaline pH | Distension, congestion of small intestine. Gastritis and stomach full of feed | Can reach 25% | Culture/isolation. Typing of isolates usually by PCR. Histopathology |
Swine dysentery Brachyspira hyodysenteriae | Frequent in the growing-fattening periods | Muco-haemorrhagic | Muco-haemorrhagic and fibrino-necrotic typhlocolitis | Variable, usually low | Culture/isolation. Typing by PCR. Histopathology |
Salmonellosis (Salmonella typhimurium) | Mostly in the growing-fattening periods | Yellowish, greenish, muco-haemorrhagic | Necrotic lesions yellowish membrane (small and large intestine); Prominent Payer patches | Low | Culture/isolation |
PED and TGE Coronavirus PEDV TGEV | All | Watery yellow/white/grey Watery yellow, white, grey, greenish; acid pH | Empty stomach. Small intestine was thinned and congested | Can be high; less severe than in neonates | PCR Histopathology Viral isolation |
Rotaviral enteritis Rotavirus | From 1 to 5 weeks | Watery, sometime pasty. Acid pH | Small intestine was thinned. | Low, <20% | PCR Histopathology Viral isolation |
Proliferative enteropathy Lawsonia intracellularis | Post-weaning | A: haemorrhagic C: greenish | Ileitis | Low | PCR Histopathology |