Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) and eae-positive non-VTEC in 1–30-days-old diarrhoeic dairy calves

• Published in: Veterinary microbiology Vol. 63; no. 2; pp. 239 - 248
• Main Authors: Orden, J.A, Ruiz-Santa-Quiteria, J.A, Cid, D, Garcı́a, S, Sanz, R, de la Fuente, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.10.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adhesins, Bacterial; Age Factors; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Toxins - biosynthesis; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; BOVIN LAITIER; CALVES; Carrier Proteins; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - microbiology; Cattle-bacteria; Cercopithecus aethiops; DAIRY CATTLE; DIARREA; Diarrhea - microbiology; Diarrhea - veterinary; DIARRHEE; DIARRHOEA; ESCHERICHIA COLI; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification; Escherichia coli - physiology; Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology; Escherichia coli Infections - veterinary; Escherichia coli Proteins; Feces - microbiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GANADO DE LECHE; GENE; GENES; GENETICA; GENETICS; GENETIQUE; Humans; Microbiology; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Shiga Toxin 1; TERNERO; VEAU; Vero Cells; Cattle-bacteria; Genetics; Escherichia coli; Bovine; Diarrhea; Genotype; Shiga-like toxin; Young animal; Infection; Characterization; Toxin; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Bacteriosis; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Intestinal disease; Artiodactyla; Veterinary; Clinical isolate; Ungulata; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0378-1135; 1873-2542
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1135(98)00218-1

Faecal samples from 221, 1–30-days-old, diarrhoeic dairy calves were screened for the presence of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) and eae-positive non-VTEC. Calves were grouped according to their age (1–7, 8–14, 15–21 and 22–30 days) and analyses of prevalences were done by Mantel–Haenzsel χ 2-test for trend. VTEC and eae-positive non-VTEC were detected in 20 (9.0%) and 18 (8.1%) of the diarrhoeic calves, respectively. A significant age-associated increase in the prevalence of VTEC ( p=0.0001), but not in the prevalence of eae-positive non-VTEC ( p=0.381), was found. Significant differences in VTEC prevalence were found between the age-group 22–30 days and in all other age-groups. 43 (5.0%) of the 861 E. coli isolates from the 221 diarrhoeic calves were VTEC, and 30 (69.8%) of these strains produced VT1 only. More than one-half of the VTEC strains (55.8%) were positive for the eae gene and all these eae-positive VTEC strains produced VT1 only. A high percentage (76.7%) of VTEC strains belonged to E. coli serogroups (O4, O26, O39, O91, O113, O128 and O145) associated with haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome in humans. 51 (5.9%) of the E. coli strains studied were eae-positive non-VTEC and the serogroups most prevalent among these strains were O4, O14, O26 and O123. Only four of the eae-positive strains were also espB-positive by hybridization with a probe from a human EPEC isolate and none of these strains produced VT.