Diagnosis of Chronic Enteritis in Goats by Polymerase Chain Reaction

The study reports the investigation of 16 goats suffering from chronic enteritis maintained in a semi intensive rearing system of an organized goat farm in Meghalaya, India by polymerase chain reaction. Faecal samples from infected goats were processed for both aerobic and anaerobic bacterial isolation. The PCR assay was carried out to detect the virulence genes (stx1, stx2, hlyA, eaeA and rfbO157 genes) of Escherichia coli and virulence genes (cpa, cpb, etx, iA, cpe and cpb2 genes) of Clostridium perfringens. Aerobic bacterial isolation yielded 16 isolates of Escherichia coli of serogroups O5 (2), O8 (2), O15 (1), O26 (1), O63 (1), O78 (2), O128 (3), O157 (2) and UT (2). In PCR, both stx1 and 2, stx1, hlyA and rfbO157 genes were detected in 6 (37.5%), 5 (31.2%), 2 (12.5%) and 2 (12.5%) cases respectively. A total of 11 (68.75%) isolates were identified as Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) distributing among the serogroups of O5, O15, O26, O78, O128 and O157 by PCR assay. The anaerobic isolation yielded 13 isolates of Clostridium perfringens among 16 feacal samples. In PCR, both cpa and cpb2 genes were detected from all the 13 isolates of C. perfringens. None of the C. perfringens isolates were positive for cpb, etx, iA and cpe toxin genes. The PCR assay revealed that all the 13 C. perfringens isolates were genotype A. Present study suggested that PCR is a useful and rapid molecular tool in diagnosis of chronic enteritis. Both STEC and C. perfringens type A might play a dual role in association with the chronic enteritis in goats.