Aspects of colibacillosis in farm animals

Abstract

It has been known for a considerable time thatEscherichia coli, although a normal inhabitant of the intestinal tract, can also be associated with a variety of pathological conditions in man, farm animals and poultry.When Escherich (1885) isolated from the faeces of a newborn baby an organism which is now accepted asE. coli, he considered it to be a harmless saprophyte. Laruelle (1889) was the first to suggest the possible pathogenicity of this organism, while Jensen (1893) showed that it was the cause of white scour in calves. The development of reliable serological methods facilitated the differentiation of strains and numerous workers have demonstrated an association between certain serological types ofE. coliand various disease conditions in animals. Enteric diseases in young animals are an important cause of mortality and economic loss to the farming community.