Occurrence, bacteriological and histopathological aspects of colibacillosis in calves

Abstract

Colibacillosis was detected in 31 animals (5.70%) of 19 farms, from 543 dead calves, that showed diarrhea, fever, anorexia, respiratory disorders, prostation and cachechia; 3 of them showed nervous problems characterized respectively by ataxia, paresis and blindness. The enfermity started with only one exception in the first month of life. Strains of isolated Escherichia coli were identified by the API 20E systems. The serologic classification of 13 strains from 8 different farms was the following: 078:K80, 0141:K99, 0119, 08:K99, 07, 021, 09 and 0128. Histopathological findings were: omphalophlebitis, pneumonia, microabscesses of the liver, kidneys and spleen and bacterial colonization of the renal tubules, of the glomerular capillaries and spleen. The lesions observed lead to the classification of almost all the forms studied from the so-called septicemia colibacillosis, also named colisepticemia.