Enterotoxigenicity of Salmonellae isolated from dogs in Nigeria

Salmonella dublin, S agama and S typhimurium isolated from local dogs were tested for enterotoxigenic activity using Guinea-Pig Ligated Ileal Loop Technique. One millilitre each of whole-cell culture (WCC) and cell-free filtrate (CFF) of each isolate was injected into replicates of ligated loops. Enterotoxigenic activity, measured as mean dilatation index (DI) was determined for WCC and CFF of each isolate. Both WCC and unheated CFF of all the serotypes induced considerable fluid accumulation in the loops. The mean DI produced by WCC and unheated CFF varied significantly among the three serotypes. This variation seems to support the concept of multiple mechanisms for salmonella-induced diarrhoea.