Detection of Heat-Stabile and Heat-Labile Enterotoxins of Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated From Healthy Animals

Abstract

In this study, Escherichia coli strains isolated from feces of 12 various healthy animals (sheep, cow, dog, quail, cattle, ostrich, lamb, gull and chicken, Turkey, cat and pigeon) were examined for heat Stabile enterotoxin (ST) and heat Labile enterotoxin (LT). For this purpose, two commercial kits that E. coli ST EIA was used to determine of ST and VET-RPLA was used to determine of LT. A total of 695 E. coli strains were isolated and identified from 2300 fecal samples. Out of these isolates tested for the presence of ST and LT enterotoxin, 17 isolates (2.4%) were found positive for ST and 13 isolates (1.9%) for LT. E. coli strains isolated from turkey, pigeon, gull and ostrich were found to be negative for ST and LT. As a result, with this study, the enterotoxigenic properties of E. coli strains isolated from animal species such as quail, gull, pigeon and ostrich were examined for the first time in Turkey.