Diarreias bacterianas em bezerros leiteiros do Estado do Maranhão

Abstract

This study aimed to establish data on the occurrence of the main bacterial agents involved in diarrhea in dairy calves in the state of Maranhão and respective antibiogram results. Samples were collected using a rectal swab and were initially cultivated on sheep blood agar (5%) and MacConkey agar plates and later on Salmonella-Shigella agar and eosin - methylene blue agar. Gram stain, biochemical tests and antibiogram were performed with the colonies obtained. 10 municipalities were studied, with 230 calves evaluated, distributed among 20 properties. A total of 21 animals with clinical signs of diarrhea were obtained, representing a frequency of 9.13%. The frequency of positive properties was 35% (n=7) and that of municipalities 50% (n=5). The bacteria belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae family being 42.9% (n=9) Escherichia coli, 23.8% (n=5) Klebsiella sp., 14.3% (n=3) Salmonella sp., 9.5% (n=2) Proteus sp. and 9.5% (n=2) Enterobacter sp. In the antibiogram, all bacteria showed resistance to Penicillin G (100%) and Erythromycin (33% resistant and 67% intermediate) and sensitivity to Enrofloxacin (5 μcg), Ceftiofur (30 μcg), Cotrimoxazol (25 μcg), Streptomycin (10 μcg), Florfenicol (30 μcg) and Gentamicin (10 μcg). The feces of these animals had a pasty to liquid consistency, brown, yellow to greenish in color, without the presence of blood and it was not possible to establish a pattern to correlate the macroscopic findings of the feces with its etiological agent. It was possible to observe that diarrhea is present in dairy calves in the state of Maranhão, which highlights the importance of studying this syndrome in the state, as a result of inadequate hygiene and facilities, thus confirming the need to implement veterinary technical assistance. The bacteria found are relevant for both animal and human health, serving as a warning to public health, since the isolates in this study demonstrated in vitro resistance to several antibiotics, culminating in the emergence of superbugs. Therefore, it is recommended to perform antibiograms, when possible, in treatments where the use of antibiotics is recommended, following the correct dosage