Prevalence and identification of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in healthy and diarrhoeic goats

The prevalence of shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in healthy and diarrhoeic goats was investigated in Uttar Pradesh, India by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. A total of one hundred seventy six fecal samples were collected from different farms/migratory flocks (30 healthy and 18 diarrhoeic) and organized farms (65 healthy and 65 diarrhoeic) in Mathura and Agra districts. Nineteen STEC isolates (18.95%) carried either stx1/stx2 alone or in combination could be isolated from healthy goats. Whereas, twenty nine STEC isolates (34.94%) carried either stx1/stx2 alone or in combination in diarrhoeic goats. Interestingly in the present study, many of STEC isolates from kids carried stx1 gene compared to adult goats which mostly carried stx2 STEC isolates. The study reveled that there is high prevalence of STEC strains in both healthy and diarrhoeic goats which can pose threat to animals as well as humans. Further studies are required to establish the relationship between animals and humans by detailed molecular typing studies in this part of country.