Virulence repertoire of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) from diarrhoeic lambs of Arunachal Pradesh, India

A total of 107 faecal samples were collected from diarrhoeic lambs of high altitude terrains (2,000 to 5,000 m above the mean sea level) of Tawang and West Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Total 234 Escherichia coli were isolated and further subjected to PCR for the study of virulence repertoire characteristics of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Out of the 234 isolated E. coli, 32% were found positive for STEC, and 9% were carrying virulence gene for ETEC. The isolated STEC serogroups were O159, O127, O120, O113, O60, O30, O25, O8 and O2. Of all the 74 STEC strains, PCR showed that 18% isolates carried stx1, 26% possessed stx2 and 47% produced positive amplicon for both. Other virulent attributes like intimin (eaeA), enterohaemolysin (ehxA) and STEC auto-agglutinating adhesin (saa) were present in 18%, 43% and 44% of the isolates, respectively. The isolated ETEC serogroups were O172, O170, O159, O146, O127, O120, O113, O86, O75, O60, O30, O25, O8, O2, OR and OUT. Of the 22 ETEC-positive isolates, 23%, 18% and 4.5% possessed the gene only for LT, STa and STb, respectively, whereas 54% carried genes for both LT and STb. Some serogroups of E. coli like O159, O127, O120, O113, O60, O30, O25, O8 and O2 possessed genes for both Shiga toxin and enterotoxin. This study is the first report of ETEC isolation from diarrhoeic lambs in India. The moderately high proportion of STEC and ETEC in the diarrhoeic lambs implicated that these animals are important reservoir of STEC and ETEC. This is really a grave concern for the ‘brokpas’ and nomads (shepherds) who share a close relationship with this animals for their livelihood. This study also indicates that ETEC may be a major cause for frequent diarrhoeal episodes in lambs of this region.