Anti-STX2 polyclonal antibody

This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and pathogenic potential of Escherichia coli (E. colt) isolated from piglets having white score diarrhea as a result of outbreak occurred in Qinghai Tibetan Plateau in 2015. A total of 81 E.coli were isolated from 83 fecal samples. The organisms were inoculated on MacConkey agar and EMB agar and identified via biochemical tests. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect representative virulence factors or genes, including E.coli adherence factor (K88, CS31A, afaE-8), toxins (estA, estB, Stxl, Stx2, EAST]), pathogenicity island (eaeA, irp2, ETT2) and outer membrane protein (ompA). Moreover O-antigen serotype was tested by slide agglutination test and a mouse model was built to assess the lethality of the E.coli isolates through subcutaneous-infection. Out of 81 E.coli isolates, the most prevalent gene detected was ompA (90.12%), followed by ETT2 (69.14%), irp2 (54.32%), EAST1 (46.91%), CS31A (41.98%), estB (19.75%), eaeA (14.81%), estA (12.35%) and K88 (1.23%), while others were negative. The result showed that the main serotypes of E. colt were 08, 064, 0138, 0157, 0139 and 0141, accounting for 60 (74.04%) of all strains, while mouse subcutaneous infection model revealed that 45(55.56%) of the isolates were "killers", 20 (24.69%) were pathopoiesia but not lead to die and 16 (19.75%) of the isolates were non virulent. This study reported the occurrence of pathogenic E. coli isolated from Tibetan piglets with white score diarrhea which highlights the threat of pathogenic E.coli in free ranging Tibetan piglets, as the local herdsmen can directly suffer a great economic loss.

Background and Aim: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has emerged as significant foodborne pathogens. Ruminants are the primary reservoir of the zoonotic STEC. In Bangladesh, previous studies reported the presence of STEC in cattle, goat, and sheep; however, there is little information about STEC carriage by buffaloes. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of STEC in healthy (absence of clinical signs and symptoms) buffaloes on smallholdings in Bangladesh and to assess the antimicrobial resistance pattern of identified STEC isolates. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 rectal swab samples were obtained from randomly selected buffaloes on 40 smallholdings in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. Samples were subjected to bacteriological screening to identify E. coli. All E. coli isolates were examined for the presence of the Shiga toxin-producing genes - Shiga toxin 1 (stx1) and Shiga toxin 2 (stx2) using polymerase chain reaction. The antimicrobial susceptibility of identified STEC isolates was tested using the disk diffusion method. Results: Results show that 71 fecal samples were positive for E. coli in bacteriological screening. The proportion of buffaloes harboring STEC isolates was 11% (11/100) (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.1-18.8], of which 7% (7/100) (95% CI 3.2-13.9) and 4% (4/100) (95% CI 1.2-10.2) carried stx1 and stx2 genes, respectively. Antibiogram revealed that 91% (10/11), 73% (8/11), 55% (6/11), and 55% (6/11) STEC isolates were resistant to tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, erythromycin, and ampicillin, respectively. In contrast, 91% (10/11) STEC isolates were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and gentamicin, whereas 73% (8/11) isolates were sensitive to ceftriaxone. Conclusion: This study highlights, for the first time, a significant proportion of fecal samples from healthy buffaloes on smallholdings in Bangladesh harboring antimicrobial-resistant STEC. Transmission of antimicrobial-resistant STEC from buffaloes to humans could pose an added risk to public health in rural Bangladesh.