Báo cáo Nghiên cứu khoa học diagnosis and control of diarrhoea in suckling pigs: laboratory staff competent in diagnostic

1 Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Progress Report 001/04VIE Diagnosis and control of diarrhoea in suckling pigs MILESTONE 7 REPORT LABORATORY STAFF COMPETENT IN DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES 2 Table of Contents 1. INSTITUTE INFORMATION ...........................................................................................................................3 2. PROJECT ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................4 3. MS ACHIEVEMENTS.......................................................................................................................................4 4. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................................5 3 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. Cu Huu Phu Australian Organisation The University of Queensland/Victorian Department of Primary Industry Australian Personnel Dr Darren Trott, Dr Ian Wilkie, Dr Tony Fahy Date commenced April 13th 2005 Completion date (original) January 2007 Completion date (revised) April 2008 Reporting period March 2006-March 2008 Contact Officer(s) In Australia: Team Leader Name: Dr Darren Trott Telephone: 617 336 52985 Position: Associate Professor 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 Telephone: 61 7 33652651 Position: Manager Research Projects Office Fax: 61 7 33651188 Organisation School of Land and Food The University of Qld Email: In Vietnam Name: Dr Do Ngoc Thuy Telephone: 84 4 8693923 Position: Head of Bacteriology Department Fax: 84 4 8694082 Organisation NIVR Email: 4 2. Project Abstract This project is designed to improve the 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 pre-weaning diarrhoea to improve speed and accuracy of laboratory diagnosis. The third part of the project seeks to improve the production and efficacy of a locally-manufactured E. coli vaccine for the control and prevention of neonatal colibacillosis. In this phase, the E. coli vaccine, based on three major strains identified and characterized by Dr Do Ngoc Thuy during her PhD studies, was tested for safety and efficacy and is now being produced by the National Institute of Veterinary Research. The vaccine is currently being used in a related CARD project (A blueprint for smallholder pig production XXXX) . 3. MS achievements This report documents progress on the following deliverables for MS 7 (linked to the project logframe objective 3: Laboratory staff competent in diagnostic techniques): 1) Diagnostic training manuals updated. 2) Competency assessment of NIVR staff to recognise and characterise pathogens and to implement the CIP model for sustained productivity improvement. 3) NIVR diagnostic submission records Evidence: 1) Diagnostic training manuals and procedures updated. a. Design of NIVR Diagnostic Services Laboratory Submission and Recording Form (Appendix 1). b. Diagnostic training manual standard operating procedures (SOPs). The SOPs (Appendix 2 and 3) of the Australian Pig Health and Research Unit (a NATA accredited laboratory) for investigation of pre-weaning diarrhoea samples, were translated into Vietnamese and have now become SOPs for NIVR (Appendix 4). 2) Competency assessment of NIVR staff to recognise and characterise pathogens and to implement the CIP model for sustained productivity improvement. a. The NIVR Bacteriology Department has four full-time scientists who have been trained and competency assessed by Dr Do Ngoc Thuy and Dr Tony Fahy on their ability to identify and recognise the six major preweaning diarrhoea pathogens (enterotoxigenic E. coli, Clostridium perfringens type A [bacterial causes], rotavirus and transmissible gastroenteritis virus [viral causes], coccidiosis and Cryptosporidium [protozoan causes]) in faecal samples. Dr Thuy and members of her diagnostic team will transfer this technology to Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry as part of the 004/05VIE project in December 2009. b. Dr Do Ngoc Thuy attended the IPVS Congress in Denmark in 2006 and the AAAP Congress in Hanoi in 2008. She had two papers accepted at both 5 conferences, detailing preliminary and final results of characterization of diarrhoeal pathogens in preweaning pigs from commercial and village farms (Poster 1), and virulence gene pathotypes of enterotoxigenic E. coli isolates (Poster 2). These were both refereed conferences and the posters and abstracts have been submitted to CARD as part of previous milestone reports. c. Dr Thuy undertook further laboratory training at The E. coli OIE reference laboratory in Montreal under the direction of Prof John Fairbrother. A detailed report of her research undertaken in this laboratory has been submitted with the MS 3 and 6 report. Ten new gene primers were introduced, and Dr Thuy has identified new E. coli virulence gene profiles in Vietnam and shown why oedema disease is so prevalent in this country. 3) NIVR diagnostic submission records. a. Hard copy records for each laboratory diagnostic submission are available on request from the NIVR Bacteriology Department. b. A summary of the results of testing for the six major causes of pre-weaning diarrhoea in Vietnam over the 12 months of the project is provided in Appendix 5. Dr Thuy has sorted the samples to identify those where mixed infection was diagnosed and this has formed the basis for her poster presentation to the AAAP conference, which has been submitted with MS 3 and 6. We now eagerly look forward to transferring the technology to Hue University and accurately determine the causes of pre-weaning diarrhoea in our test and control farms in central Vietnam. 4. Conclusion The transfer of technologies for laboratory testing for accurate diagnosis of pre-weaning diarrhoea has been one of the big success stories of this project. Technologies were transferred early in the project and diagnostic staff at NIVR are now skilled in several techniques and confidently identified pathogens in samples. This confirmed that many piglets in Vietnam, both in commercial and village-based operations are infected with mixed pathogens, confirming that greater attention to pig husbandry (including appropriate preventative and treatment strategies including vaccination and prophylactic medication) must be initiated. The purchase of the new PCR machine and other laboratory equipment allowed the NIVR to accurately profile the pathotype of ETEC strains associated with preweaning and postweaning diarrhoea/oedema disease. This identified new virulence gene profiles and showed that the F19 strains, which were not identified in the early stages of the project are definitely still causing diarrhoea. 6 Dr Do Ngoc Thuy at the IPVS Congress in Denmark.