The purpose of the study was to determine particular virulence factors and
sensitivity to antimicrobial agents of E.coli strains isolated from diarrho
eic pigs in north-east Poland. The isolated strains were investigated for t
he presence of fimbriae with the following antigenic specificity: F4, F5, F
6, F17, F18 and F41. Out of 204 strains only four possessed fimbriae F41, t
wo - F17 strains and two - F4 strains. None of the genetic element coding f
or LT, STa, STb enterotoxins and shiga variant toxin was -detected in any o
f the studied strains. More than 90% of the E. coli strains were sensitive
tb:gentamycin, excenel, enrofoxacin amoxycillin, lincospectin, flumequine a
nd apramycin. The range of strains that were sensitive to neomycin, nitrofu
rantoin, colistin and chloramfenicol was less and amounted to 87.25%, 75.5%
, 75.48% and 65.6% respectively. Only 53.92%, 51%, and 50% of the strains w
ere sensitive to coliprim, streptomycin and ampicillin. Tetracycline showed
the least antimicrobial activity in the present study. Only 8.8% of the st
rains were susceptible to the above antibiotic.