Prevalence of rotaviruses in swine raised under small-scale production system in East Africa region

Abstract

The incid ence o f rotavirus (RV) infection i n nursing and weaned pigs on small - scale farms (n = 1 - 25 pigs per farm ) under different management systems was determined. A total of 2 51 fecal samples collected from Kenya (n=140 ) and Uganda (n=11 1 ) were screened for rotaviruses ( A, B and C) using RT- PC R assay. RVs were identified in 42.2 % of the samples. Of these , 40 .6 %, 0 % and 6 .0% we r e positive for grou p A, B and C RV s respectively. 10.4 % (11 /1 06) of t he RV positive samples were mixed grou p A and C RV infections. Th e incidence of RV was slightl y higher in Uganda ( 45.5 %) compar e d to Kenya ( 42.2 %) . Mo r e nu rsing pigl ets (82.9 %) shed RV than wea ned pigl ets ( 30.0 %- 37 .5 %) . More pigs that we r e either house d an d free- range ( 76.5 %) or tethered and freeran g e (45.1 %) o r tether e d only ( 3 8 .3 %) we r e RV positive than the free- range ( 12 .5 %) or housed ( 33.3 %) or hous ed and tether e d ( 0 %) pigs. Th e Ag e and ma nag eme nt sy st em a ffected the prevalen ce of RV infections w i th house d and free- r ang e system presenting high risk for RV infection. Partial ( 8 11 - 160 4nt region sequence of VP 4 gene of selected positive samples revealed that different P genotypes (P[6], P[8] and P[13] ) are circulating in t he study region with P[ 8 ] being more dominant.