Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of enterotoxic type A isolates recovered from humans and animals in Kolkata, India.

is one of the most important globally recognised gastroenteric pathogen in humans as well as animals. The present study was aimed to know the similarities/divergence among type A isolates of human and animal origin using the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) as a molecular tool. The enterotoxic isolates obtained by screening of human diarrhoeal cases (n = 130), diarrhoeal cases of pig (n = 52) and goat (n = 50), meat samples ., pork (n = 59) and chevon (n = 57) were characterized by standard cultural and biochemical methods followed by PCR Assays. Accordingly, a total of 11 type A characterized isolates (16S rRNA, , and ) recovered from human diarrhoeal cases (n = 3); diarrhoeal cases of pig (n = 2) and goat (n = 2); meat samples . pork (n = 2) and chevon (n = 2) were examined employing PFGE. The observed clustering pattern in PFGE analysis showed the relatedness between isolates from diarrhoeal goat and chevon (90-100%); diarrhoeal pig and pork (65-68%); moreover, isolates from human diarrhoeal cases were exhibiting lineage to cases from goat and pig diarrhoea as well pork and chevon by 62-68% relatedness. The outcome of the present study indicates the probable contamination of this pathogen to the human food chain through faeces from suspected food animals . goat and pig and their improperly cooked meat.