ANKARA UNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKULTESI DERGISI, cilt.58, sa.4, ss.255-260, 2011 (SCI-Expanded)
The aim of this study was to detect E. coli O157:H7 serotype in the faeces samples collected from calves and cattle farms located of Afyonkarahisar province in Turkey and to determine the stx(1) (Shiga toxin 1) and stx(2) (Shiga toxin 2) virulence genes in the strains of EA:oh O157:H7 by multiplex PCR (mPCR). In this study, E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from the 3.1% (14 out 457 faeces samples) of the calves and cattle examined, in particular 2.3% of the cattle, 2.6% of non-diarrhoeic calves and 10.6% of diarrhoeic calves were positive for E. coli O157:H7. The stx(1) and stx(2) genes were detected in 6 out of 14 (42.8%) DNA samples extracted from STEC O157:H7 strains. This study demonstrated of E. coli O157:H7 serotype in cattle and calves, which represent an important reservoir for strains that a potential risk for human infections.