Prevalence, serodiversity and antibiogram of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in diarrhoeic calves and lambs of Kashmir valley (J&K), India

Abstract

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is the major cause of diarrhoea in neonatal animals. This study determined the prevalence, serological diversity, virulence gene profile and in-vitro antibiogram of ETEC isolates from diarrhoeic faeces of calves and lambs. The prevalence rate of ETEC in lambs was recorded 18.46 % with O8 as predominant serotype. However, in calves the prevalence rate was recorded 8.57 % with O15 and O26 as predominant serotypes. The antibiogram screening showed differential susceptibility pattern among ETEC isolates with highest resistance to ampicillin and highest sensitivity to enrofloxacin. In the present study, for the first time it was reported that the diarrhoea in calves and lambs occur due to virulent gene est not due to elt gene, which was absent in all the isolates.