Prevalence and characterization of Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from diarrhoeic and healthy sheep and goats

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 130; no. 2; pp. 313 - 321
• Main Authors: ORDEN, J. A., RUIZ-SANTA-QUITERIA, J. A., BLANCO, M., BLANCO, J. E., MORA, A., CID, D., GONZÁLEZ, E. A., BLANCO, J., DE LA FUENTE, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.04.2003
• Subjects: Adhesins, Bacterial - genetics; Animals; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Diarrhea; Diarrhea - microbiology; Diarrhea - veterinary; E coli; eae gene; Epidemiology; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - classification; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification; Escherichia coli Proteins; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Goat kids; Goats; Goats - microbiology; Infections; Microbiology; Polymerase chain reaction; Serotyping; Sheep; Sheep - microbiology; Sheep Diseases - microbiology; Shiga Toxin 1 - biosynthesis; Shiga Toxin 1 - genetics; Shiga Toxin 2 - biosynthesis; Shiga Toxin 2 - genetics; Shiga toxins; Small ruminants; Virulence; Spain; Prevalence; Escherichia coli; Diarrhea; Epidemiology; Infection; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Bacteriosis; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Intestinal disease; Sheep; Goat; Artiodactyla; Veterinary; Clinical isolate; Ungulata; Shiga like toxin; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268802008154

Faecal samples from 146 diarrhoeic lambs and goat kids, and from 511 healthy sheep and goats were screened for the presence of Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC). In healthy sheep and goats, VTEC were isolated in 24·4 and 16·2% of the animals, respectively. Moreover, VTEC were detected in 3·1 and 5·9% of the diarrhoeic lambs and goat kids, respectively. These data suggest that VTEC seems not to be associated with diarrhoea in lambs and goat kids. Only four VTEC strains were eae-positive. The absence of the eae gene in most of these VTEC strains could indicate that these strains are less virulent for humans that the classical eae-positive enterohaemorrhagic E. coli types. However, almost half (42·9%) and 12·2% of VTEC strains isolated from healthy sheep and goats, respectively, belonged to serotypes associated with severe diseases in humans.