Occurrence and Characteristics of CS31A Antigen‐Producing Escherichia coli in Calves with Diarrhoea and Septicaemia in Argentina

CS31A is a K88‐related non‐fimbrial adhesin first described on Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrhoeic and septicaemic calves. In this report, CS31A antigen was screened by immunological methods and confirmed by PCR among bovine E. coli isolates. In addition, CS31A‐producing strains were characterized with respect to different fimbrial antigens, O‐serogroup and other properties related to virulence. Faecal or tissue specimens of 100 diarrhoeic or septicaemic calves and 27 older cattle with different pathologies from 71 outbreaks or individual cases that occurred in Buenos Aires province, Argentina, were examined. CS31A+ E. coli strains were isolated from 21 (21.0%) calves from 16 outbreaks or individual cases. No CS31A+ E. coli was detected in samples from cattle more than 1 year old. Fimbriae F5, F41, F17a and F17b were not detected among the CS31A‐producing strains. Three (14.3%) of the CS31A+ E. coli strains expressed the F17c fimbria. All of the 21 isolates exhibited at least one property of septicaemic strains (resistance to serum, production of aerobactin or colicins) but none of them demonstrated heat‐stable enterotoxigenic activity. CS31A+ E. coli isolates belonged to 10 serogroups, more commonly O8, O7, O17 and O21. The results obtained here confirm the worldwide distribution of CS31A antigen in bovine E. coli strains. However, CS31A+ or CS31A+/F17c+ E. coli were less frequently isolated than they were in North hemisphere countries.