HYBRIDIZATION OF CLINICAL ESCHERICHIA-COLI ISOLATES FROM CALVES AND PIGLETS IN NEW-YORK-STATE WITH GENE PROBES FOR ENTEROTOXINS (STAP, STB,LT), SHIGA-LIKE TOXINS (SLT-1, SLT-II) AND ADHESION FACTORS (K88, K99, F41, 987P)

Six hundred and sixty-six bovine and fifty-seven swine clinical isolat es of E. coli from New York state were examined for the presence of en terotoxins (STaP, STb, LT, SLT-I, and SLT-II) and adhesins (K88, K99, F41, and 987P) using colony hybridization techniques. Three hundred an d sixty-seven of the bovine isolates (45.2%) hybridized with at least one gene probe. Of these, two hundred and twenty-three (33.2%) hybridi zed with F41, one hundred twelve (16.7%) with K99, eighty-two (12.2%) with 987P, ninety-six (14.3%) with STaP, seven (1.1%) with STb, and no ne (0.0%) with LT and K88. A total of thirty-three (4.7%) of the isola tes hybridized with SLT-I, and one (0.1%) with SLT-II. The major patho types among the 666 isolates from bovine were K99/F41/StaP (9.8%), K99 /F41 (2.5%), ps7P/F41 (2.1%) and 987P/K99/F41/StaP (1.4%). Of the swin e clinical isolates, twenty-two hybridized with at least one gene prob e. The major pathotypes among the isolates from piglets were K88/K99/F 41/StaP (5.3%) and K88/F41 (5.3%).