Prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in dogs with diarrhoea in Western Taiwan

Abstract

Salmonella spp. can be widely spread by air or contaminated food. There are six common pathogenic Escherichia coli
which account for 4–8% of all E. coli pathogens. Amongst them, E. coli O157 is the most commonly known. In this study,
we investigated the prevalence of diarrhoea pathogens, referred to as Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli (E. coli), in pet
dogs in western Taiwan using the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The related analysis between the
prevalence rates and the epidemiological data of pet dogs was correlated with age, season, area and breed. Faecal
samples were collected from 240 dogs which had symptoms of diarrhoea and had been examined by veterinary hospitals
from January 2015 to January 2017. The PCR sensitivity of the total deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs) extracted from 0.1g
faecal samples ranging from 10 fg to 100 ng was examined. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. and E. coli infections was
19.2% (46/240) and 3.3% (8/240), respectively. Results showed that Salmonella spp. was at its most prevalent during
spring, whilst E. coli was most prevalent in summer, and the highest proportions might occur in puppies in suburban
dogs. Since both diseases are zoonotic, the more humans are exposed to it, the higher its occurrence will be. This study
has provided clinical veterinarians with the advanced ability to diagnose both diseases and with crucial information
for the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and E. coli diseases in dogs with diarrhoea in Taiwan.