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Identifying Immuno-Dominant And Neutralizing Epitopes From K88 Fimbriae Of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli (Etec), T. Lu, W. Zhang

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are the primary cause of diarrheal disease, especially porcine post-weaning diarrhea (PWD). Post-weaning diarrhea is one of the most common diseases in piglets 3 to 10 days after weaning and causes the loss of millions of dollars annually to United States swine industry and other countries. These ETEC bacteria produce two types of virulence factors: 1) fimbriae adhesins, which promote bacterial attachment and colonization in pig small intestine; and 2) enterotoxins that disrupt fluid homeostasis and cause fluid hype-secretion and watery diarrhea. The F4 (K88) is the most important fimbria in ETEC bacteria causing PWD. …