Diarrhea in the production animals is a major threat to the industry because of the losses due to poor growth, mortality, low production and cost involved in veterinary intervention. Klebsiella sp. is a gram-negative coliform bacterium that lives in the intestines of humans and animals as commensal. Klebsiella sp. is considered as an opportunistic pathogen that potentially could cause diarrhea. Understanding distribution of bovine diarrhea causing pathogen Klebsiella spp. can contribute to the selection of suitable antimicrobials. Fecal samples collected from 47 dairy cattle from Livestock Research Centre, SVPUAT, Meerut and villages adjoining to Meerut city, Uttar Pradesh were examined to study the frequency of Klebsiella spp and to determine the associated risk factors, resistance of isolated strains to various antimicrobial agents. Nearly 29.79% of the faecal samples were positive for Klebsiella spp. Herd size and age group were found to be significantly associated (p< 0.05) with the occurrence of these pathogens. A high level of resistance was observed against oxytetracycline, gentamicin, streptomycin and ceftriaxone. In contrast, enrofloxacin and amikacin were effective against Klebsiella spp. The high prevalence of AMR in India is a very important concern for strategy programs to control bovine diarrhea caused by Klebsiella spp.

Antibiotyping, Cattle, India, Klebsiella, Prevalence

The results of the present study indicated that amikacin may be the most effective antibiotic in case of diarrhoea in cattle caused by Klebsiella in cow. This further suggested the crucial need for improvements in the antibiotic stewardship programs to limit the rise of resistant microorganisms. Antibiotics are crucial for treatment of animals but unnecessary or overuse of antibiotics constitutes a serious problem for one health. The data in the present study contributes to diagnosis, treatment and control of bovine diarrhoea in Uttar Pradesh, India, in particular, and emphasis the need of good managemental practices to avoid the entry of commensal and nosocomial pathogens in host to induce any diseases conditions. The occurrence of Klebsiella can be managed by improving the environmental contamination.

Rajat Singh, Amit Kumar Verma, Amit Kumar, Arbind Singh, Aditya Kumar, Afroz and T.K. Sarkar (2022). Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Klebsiella species Associated with Bovine Diarrhea. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(4a): 581-585.