Vol. 9, Issue 12, Part E (2025)

Neonatal diarrhoea poses a major health and economic challenge in pig production, with Escherichia coli being one of the principal bacterial agents. Three twenty-four-day-old piglets with acute watery diarrhoea were investigated to determine the etiological agent using conventional and molecular diagnostic approaches. Bacteriological culture on MacConkey and EMB agar yielded lactose-fermenting colonies with characteristic metallic sheen and biochemical profiling was consistent with E. coli. Molecular confirmation was achieved through PCR amplification of the species-specific uidA gene, which encodes β-glucuronidase and produced the expected 200 bp amplicon. Screening for major enterotoxigenic genes (LT1 & STa) was negative, indicating the involvement of a non-toxigenic or atypical strain. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing guided therapeutic intervention, and the piglet responded rapidly to enrofloxacin and supportive care. The findings underscore the diagnostic value of uidA-based PCR for accurate identification of E. coli, particularly in diarrhoeal cases where classical virulence genes are absent. Incorporation of such molecular markers into routine diagnostic workflows can enhance the precision and timeliness of pathogen detection in neonatal piglet enteric infections.