Hybridization on bovine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli with two heat-stable enterotoxin gene probes

Hybridizations were done on bovine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli with 2 heat-stable (ST) enterotoxin gene probes from porcine and human origin (STp and STh). Of the baby mouse-positive isolates, 56 (53%) hybridized the STp probe and 50 (47%) did not. There was no isolate that hybridized the STh probe. Hybridization with the Stp probe was more frequent (P less than 0.005) for E coli isolated from calves that died before 2 weeks of age (49 STp-positive isolates of 77 [64%] isolates) than for E coli isolated from calves that died after 2 weeks of age (2 STp-positive of 21 [10%] isolates).