Studies on the pathogenicity of klebsiella for calves
Amtsberg, G.; Fischer, W.
Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 84(8): 296-300
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0341-6593 PMID: 336334 Document Number: 113336
In bacteriological studies over three years on organ samples (liver, lung, kidney, spleen and small intestines) from 436 calves, 31 (7.1%) of the animals were shown to have moderate to severe Klebsiella infection. Fourteen calves (45%) yielded Klebsiella in pure culture, ten in combination with E. coli, three in combination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and three in combination with both E. coli and P. aeruginosa. One calf had high Proteus counts. Of the 31 calves, 26 (84%) had gastro-enteritis (with polyarthritis in five cases, and with pneumonia in three) and five had bronchopneumonia or peritonitis only. In ten of the calves with gastroenteritis (38%), Klebsiella was isolated from the stomach in pure culture. In three colostrum-deprived calves (1-3 days old) experimentally infected orally with capsule type 2 K. pneumoniae (strain PA 150/73 or A 439/73; 1 X 1010 organisms), symptoms of fever were apparent in two animals 24-60 hours later, as indicated by a rise in body temperature (40.3 deg C), apathy and severe diarrhoea. After six days, all three animals exhibited enteritis similar to E. coli infection. It is postulated that prolonged treatment of E. coli infection with certain antibiotics and sulfonamides favours selection of Klebsiella, most strains of which are resistant to the common antibiotics except for polymyxin B and gentamycin.