FIRST REPORT OF ISOLATION OF ENTEROPATHOGENIC ESCHERICHIA FERGUSONII FROM THE FAECES OF ELEPHANTCALF (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS)

Abstract

A wild elephant calf of 6-8 months of age was brought to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), Bokakhat, Assam, India, having symptoms of diarrhea and debility. The fecal sample was collected and studied for isolation and identification of bacteria. Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar media showed moderate growth of bacterial colonies with a characteristic green metallic sheen. The isolates were subjected to Gram stain and biochemical tests (lactose, sucrose, and sorbitol). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with universal primers showed an amplicon of 300 bp. The PCR amplified product after nucleotide BLAST showed 98.95 % similarity with the sequence of enteropathogenic Escherichia fergusonii.

Keywords

• coli bacillosis
• elephant
• e. fergusonii
• enteropathogenic
• primers