Prevalence, molecular typing, and antibiotic sensitivity of enteropathogenic, enterohaemorrhagic, and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from veal calves.

Cattle are considered to be an important reservoir of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains that can cause disease in humans, and numerous studies of the prevalence of these strains in cattle (focusing mainly on dairy and beef cattle) have been carried out in different regions of Europe, Asia, and America. To date, only a few studies of veal calves have been published focusing on EHEC strains belonging to the O157 serogroup EHEC, whereas EHEC and VTEC can belong to hundreds of different serotypes (many of which are as dangerous to humans as the O157:H7 EHEC, such as strains of the O26, O91, O103, O111, O113 and O145 serogroups). The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), EHEC, and VTEC strains in veal calves in Belgium and to characterize the positive isolates (serogroups, virulence-associated factor-encoding genes and antibiotic resistance profiles). The prevalence of EPEC, EHEC, and VTEC strains in faecal samples from veal calves in Belgium was found to be 11.7% (6.5% of the calves were found to be positive for EPEC strains, 2.6% for EHEC, and 3.9% for VTEC strains). No O157:H7 EHEC Strain was identified, but three calves were found to carry strains belonging to the O26 and O111 serogroups. The results of antibiotic sensitivity tests showed a high level of resistance (83% of strains were resistant or intermediate resistant to five or more antibiotics of the 13 tested antibiotics), which might be caused by the frequent use of antibiotics in veterinary practice.