Relationship between production of enterotoxin and various drug resistance patterns in strains of Escherichia coli isolated from piglets suffering from colienterotoxaemia.

The relationship between production of enterotoxin and drug resistance patterns in 92 E. coli strains isolated from the jejunal content from piglets suffering from colienterotoxaemia was investigated. The drugs included were Oxytetracycline, streptomycin, sulphaisodimidin, neomycin, ampicillin and chloramphenicol. The frequency with which transmission of drug resistance occurred as well as the O-groups of these strains were also recorded. Fifty-one E. coli strains produced enterotoxin. Of these, 42 (approx. 82 %) produced the LT. The same number of strains also produced the ST. Strains simultaneously producing both enterotoxins thus constituted approx. 64 % of the enterotoxin-producing strains. The E. coli strains were divided in 7 groups, each representing different drug resistance patterns. Statistical analysis showed that the various categories of enterotoxin production mentioned above were more frequently found in strains simultaneously resistant to Oxytetracycline, streptomycin and sulphaisodimidin than in strains belonging to the other drug resistance groups in general. Transmission of drug resistance was demonstrated in all resistance pattern groups. Approx. 50–70 % of the enterotoxin-producing strains showed drug transmission. The O-groups 138 and 149 constituted 8 and 54 out of the 62 typable strains, respectively.