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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2003

J. A. ORDEN
Affiliation:
Departamento de Patología Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
J. A. RUIZ-SANTA-QUITERIA
Affiliation:
Departamento de Patología Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
M. BLANCO
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
J. E. BLANCO
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
A. MORA
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
D. CID
Affiliation:
Departamento de Patología Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
E. A. GONZÁLEZ
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
J. BLANCO
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
R. DE LA FUENTE
Affiliation:
Departamento de Patología Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Abstract

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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.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press