Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development
CARD Project Progress Report
001/04VIE: Diagnosis and control of diarrhoea
in suckling pigs
MS 2: FIRST SIX-MONTHLY REPORT
1. Institute Information
Project Name Diagnosis and control of diarrhoea in suckling pigs
Vietnamese Institution National Institute of Veterinary Research (NIVR)
Vietnamese Project Team Leader Dr. Truong Van Dung
Australian Organisation The University of Queensland/Victorian Department of
Primary Industry
Australian Personnel Dr Darren Trott, Dr Ian Wilkie, Dr Steve Driesen, Dr
Tony Fahy
Date commenced April 13th 2005
Completion date (original) January 2007
Completion date (revised) April 2007
Reporting period April – October 2005
Contact Officer(s)
In Australia: Team Leader
Name: Dr Darren Trott Telephone: 617 336 52985
Position: Senior Lecturer School of
Veterinary Science Fax: 617 336 51355
Organisation School of Veterinary Science The
University of Qld Email: d.trott@uq.edu.au
In Australia: Administrative contact
Name: Melissa Anderson/Katherine Burt Telephone: 61 7 33652651
Position: Manager Research Projects Office Fax: 61 7 33651188
Organisation School of Land and Food The
University of Qld Email: m.a.anderson@uq.edu.au
k.burt@uq.edu.au
In Vietnam
Name: Dr Cu Huu Phu Telephone: 84 4 8693923
Position: Head of Bacteriology Department Fax: 84 4 8694082
Organisation NIVR Email: cuhuuphu@netnam.org.vn
2. Project Abstract
This project is designed to improve productivity of smallholder pig farmers in Vietnam through
improved health management, particularly of piglets during the pre-weaning period. Additional
to the health management plan the project will develop and implement appropriate rapid
diagnostic tests for the principal causes of preweaning diarrhoea to improve speed and accuracy
of laboratory diagnosis. The third part of the project seeks to improve the production and
efficacy of locally-manufactured E. coli vaccines. In the first six months of the project, test
farms have been successfully selected, management changes have been instigated and data is
currently being collected. One workshop has been conducted. Laboratory staff have been trained
and provided with rapid diagnostic reagents for identification of all the major causes of
p
reweaning diarrhoea. Diagnostic antisera is currently being produced in rabbits against the
unusual fimbrial type that appears to be unique to Vietnam, which is a necessary prerequisite for
vaccine production quality control as well as laboratory and field testing.
3. Executive Summary
This project began with three major objectives:
1. Production and testing of locally-produced vaccine
2. Develop a management plan for preweaning diarrhoea using a continuous improvement model
3. Improve diagnostics for preweaning diarrhoea
During the first six months of the project, progress has been made towards all three objectives
according to the project logframe. Vaccine strains have been characterised and diagnostic antisera
prepared against the unusual Vietnamese serotype O8 strains that appear to carry a novel
unrecognised attachment antigen. Test and control farms have been selected and audited and are
supplying production figures for the pig health recording system put in place to monitor
improvements as well as diagnostic submissions to NIVR to determine the importance of
different causes of preweaning diarrhoea. A range of management strategies have been
implemented on farm to improve environmental conditions and animal health. Members of NIVR
laboratory staff have been extensively trained and competency tested in diagnostic techniques
including bacteriology and serology, ELISA and PCR. A new PCR thermocycler was purchased
for the project and is now being extensively utilized. Several training sessions have been
delivered to producers, veterinary and industry staff.
4. Introduction & Background
Diarrhoea during the suckling period has been recognised as the principle health problem
affecting both smallholder and commercial pig production in Vietnam. Previous research has
confirmed the presence of a new fimbrial type in E. coli strains causing colibacillosis in Vietnam
that would not be controlled by existing vaccines. Existing vaccines are currently imported into
Vietnam at considerable cost. In addition, there are many other causes of suckling diarrhoea, the
significance of which is currently unknown in Vietnam, which are all affected by husbandry and
management during farrowing and lactation. Project 001/04VIE (Diagnosis and control of
diarrhoea in suckling pigs) began with three objectives to solve this problem:
1. Production and testing of locally-produced E. coli vaccines
2. Development of a management plan for preweaning diarrhoea using a continuous improvement
(CIP) model
3. Improved field and laboratory diagnosis of preweaning diarrhoea
5. Progress to Date
5.1 Implementation Highlights
1) Australian study tour by Vietnamese scientists March 12th to 30th 2005
a) Brisbane: Tour of University of Qld School of Veterinary Science, University of Qld
Molecular Biosciences Precinct and Department of Primary Industry Toowoomba Veterinary
Diagnostic Laboratory (Introduction to veterinary diagnostics and Australian animal health
surveillance network). In addition, we organised for a shipment of surplus laboratory equipment
items and consumables held at the TVL to be sent to NIVR.
b) Bendigo: Pig Health and Research Unit and autogenous vaccine production laboratory,
Intervet Ltd Commercial Vaccine Manufacturing plant, visits to various piggeries (technology
transfer of rapid diagnostic tests, vaccine production, transfer of surplus equipment and
consumables).
2) First study tour of Vietnam by Australian scientists.
All Australian collaborators attended a meeting of stakeholders on the 16th April 2005 at the
National Institute of Veterinary Research to discuss the project aims and objectives. The
following milestones were achieved during this visit.
a) Technology transfer and provision of reagents to NIVR staff for laboratory
diagnosis. Methodologies were developed for diagnosis of colibacillosis (microbiological
techniques, diagnostic antisera and PCR protocols), Clostridium perfringens (microbiological
techniques), coccidiosis (faecal floats for egg counts), rotavirus and transmissible gastroenteritis
(diagnostic ELISA kits). A sample submission form for the project was designed and
implemented and laboratory results obtained for specimens taken during the farm visits in Thai
Binh province, which served the purpose of providing specimens for training of NIVR laboratory
personnel (see farm audits for laboratory results). During the six-month project, a total of 154
swab specimens and 65 faecal specimens have been received.
b) Selection of test and control piggeries in Thai Binh province and in the South.
Several large farms were visited and assigned to test or control groups for the purpose of
recording production data (data loggers were placed in two of the farms), with the long-term goal
of turning the test farms into model piggeries for training purposes. Sow cards were introduced
for the purpose of accurate record keeping. The farms were audited by Australian scientists and
faecal specimens were obtained from any suckling pigs with diarrhoea for laboratory
investigation.
c) Enteric diseases workshop. The first enteric diseases workshop was delivered
simultaneously in English and Vietnamese by Dr Tony Fahy and Dr Do Ngoc Thuy to an
audience of producers, researchers and veterinarians in Thai Binh province. This was a good
opportunity to see how our methods were received and what we needed to modify for future
training workshops. Concerning the level of production and profitability of the pig industry in
Vietnam, we identified a disparity between what our audience said they were achieving and what
we actually saw on farm. Many production problems could be reduced by simple changes in
management, but these were not being adhered to. We identified that further general scientific
training of veterinarians in veterinary extension and the ability to independently conduct farm
audits, problem solve and recommend and supervise management changes was required. From
this initial workshop we formulated our philosophy of “training the trainers” for future
workshops and CARD applications for the next round.
3) Second trip to Vietnam by Australian scientists. Farm audits were conducted by Australian
scientific staff during the period of peak humidity and temperature.
4) Purchase of new PCR machine for NIVR.
A new PCR machine together with $8,000 worth of free laboratory equipment was sent to NIVR
Bacteriology Department in July 2005. This piece of equipment is now being used to rapidly
identify ETEC virulence factors in E. coli isolates from cases of colibacillosis as part of the
general improvement in enteric disease laboratory diagnosis at NIVR.
5) Further characterization of NIVR ETEC vaccine strains. Virulence factors in the selected
vaccine strains, particularly the unusual pathogenic O8 strains that express all three enterotoxins
but contain no recognised fimbriae were independently confirmed by the Pig Health and
Research Unit. Interestingly, so far we have not identified these unusual O8 strains in any of the
farms where we have conducted our audits. Contact was made with Dr John Fairbrother, St
Hyacinthe, Quebec who is the world authority on enterotoxigenic E. coli infections in pigs and he
has expressed an interest in hosting Dr Do Ngoc Thuy to conduct further studies on identifying
the unknown fimbrial antigen in the O8 strains. This will have important ramifications for the
vaccine production phase of this project, which is due to begin in January 2006.
Diagnostic antisera was prepared at NIVR in rabbits for positive identification of the unusual
serotype O8 5F- E. coli strains using standard whole cell immunization and cross absorption
methodologies. However the sera obtained from the rabbits was not specific against the 5F- O8
strains. In the second six months of the project, the immunization procedure will be repeated
using a crude fimbrial extract that may be more specific for the novel uncharacterized attachment
antigen.
At this stage of the project based on the farm audits we have undertaken, we have identified the
following major constraints on pig production in Vietnam that can be alleviated through the
adoption of our management and continuous improvement plan:
9 Lack of written production records
9 Failure to reach reproduction targets
9 Poor ventilation and cooling systems which limit the feed intake of progeny and breeders.
9 Lack of written records on average daily gain, FCE, and pigs marketed /sow/yr.
9 Restrict feeding of all classes of stock from lactating sows through to finisher pigs.
9 Lack of written data on mortalities and age at death.
9 Incorrect vaccination strategies for those diseases for which there are effective vaccines.
9 Lack of specialist veterinary and extension staff to instruct and advise farmers.