SwineHealth News for October 23, 2025

The addition of E. coli PCR genotyping to the Swine Health Information Center's domestic swine disease monitoring report is allowing pork producers and veterinarians develop prevention and treatment strategies tailored to their farms.
Because of its many strains and diverse pathogenicity, E. coli presents a significant challenge within swine populations.
The Swine Health Information Center has added E. coli PCR genotyping to its monthly Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report.
SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder explains the domestic swine disease monitoring reports provide diagnostic data from six university veterinary diagnostic labs and allow pork producers to better understand what endemic pathogens are circulating in their regions.

Quote-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center:
Historically the swine disease reporting system has reported out data for eight endemic pathogens including PRRS, PEDV, Porcine delta coronavirus, Influenza A, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, PCV2, PCV3, TGEV and now the addition of E. coli makes nine endemic pathogens that the report monitors and includes data for on a monthly basis.
It's really important as we look at these domestic swine disease monitoring programs to understand what would provide additional value to producers and veterinarians.
The decision to add E. coli was in response to requests from the swine disease reporting system advisory board, made up of producers, veterinarians, diagnosticians and other stakeholders in the U.S. swine industry.
We want to think about, is E. coli changing, what are the virulence factors that are most commonly detected, are there differences in pathotypes with regards to ETEC and STEC and how has that changed over time, looking at these samples that have come in from veterinary diagnostic labs that represent a significant portion of the U.S. swine herd.

Dr. Niederwerder says tracking these trends helps producers recognise and respond to changes and develop prevention and treatment strategies for their individual herds.
SHIC's global and domestic swine disease monitoring reports are circulated through its monthly eNewsletter and can be found at swinehealth.org.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*SwineHealth News is produced in association with Farmscape.Ca on behalf of North America's pork producers