Characters of Escherichia coli 078 isolated from septicaemic animals.

Twenty-one Escherichia coli isolates of serogroup 078 from animal septicaemia were obtained from laboratories in France, England and Canada. The bacteria were compared for outer membrane protein (OMP) patterns, lipopolysaccharide patterns, surface proteins of fimbrial types, biotypes, antibiotypes, colicin production, hydroxamate production and virulence in mice. Sixteen isolates from bovine, ovine, porcine and avian species in France and England had a similar OMP pattern. This characteristic associated with minor properties like surface proteins type, colicin V production and virulence in mice made these 16,078 E. coli isolates from 4 animal species, good candidates for the same clonal grouping. The five other bovine isolates with "Vir" or "31a" phenotypes were heterogeneous for most of the characteristics studied.