Contributors: Kathleen P Freeman, Kenneth Simpson

 Species: Feline   |   Classification: Lab Tests

Overview Sampling Tests Result Data Further Reading

Overview

  • Bacterial infections can cause severe diarrhea, especially in young animals.
  • Fecal culture identifies these bacteria and, with sensitivity testing, can suggest effective antimicrobial therapy.

Uses

Alone

  • Identification of bacterial causes of enteritis.
  • Identification of intestinal carriers of zoonotic bacteria, eg Salmonella spp Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp Campylobacter jejuni, Yersina spp and possisbly certain types of E. coli and Clostridia spp (pathogenicity not well established in cats for GI disease).

Sampling

Source of Test Material

  • Rectal sample or freshly-voided feces.

Quality Control

Precautions

  • Standard hygiene.

Sample storage

  • Transport medium swabs ( rectal swab) or sterile container (feces or diarrhea sample).
  • Refrigerate if sample is not being posted/processed immediately.

Sample transport

Tests

Methodologies

  • Growth on selective and nonselective media with identification of significant colonies.

Availability

  • Widely available.

Technique (Intrinsic) Limitations

  • May have false negative cultures when pathogens present.

Technician (Extrinsic) Limitations

  • Requires special knowledge and techniques for accurate isolation and identification of potential pathogens.

Result Data

Normal (Reference) Values

  •  Escherichia coli Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp and Clostridium spp may be isolated from healthy cats.
  • Serotyping of  E. coli isolates may be necessary before a result is considered significant, especially in adult.
  • Unknown significance of enteric E. coli in cats, unless septicemia or neonatal colibacillosis in kittens.

Abnormal Values

  • Significant organisms include Campylobacter spp Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp   Salmonella spp and Yersinia spp (rare).
  • Unknown significance of E. coli and Clostridia spp in diarrheal diseases.

Errors and Artifacts

  • False negative culture results: if treatment with antimicrobials before sampling.
  • False negative culture results: if sample handled or transported inappropriately.

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

  • Recent references from VetMedResource and PubMed.
  • Marks S L et al (1999) Evaluation of methods to diagnose Clostridium perfringens-associated diarrhea in dogs. JAVMA 214 (3), 357-360.