Histopathological Effects of Enterotoxigenic Klebsiellavariicola and Enterobacter Species Isolated from Iko River- Nigeria

ASTRACT The histopathological effects of enterotoxigenic Klebsiella variicola and Enterobacter species isolated from Iko River- Nigeria was investigated using the rabbit ligated ileal loop assay. The isolates were coded 10, 11A, 12A, 13 and EC6. In a phylogenetic study using the 16S rRNA sequencing, isolates 12A, 13 and EC6 were identified as Klebsiella variicola F2R9 T (AJ783916), isolate 11A as Enterobacter ludwigii EN-119 T (AJ853891), while 10 was identified to be either Enterobacter asburiae JCM 6051 T (AB004744) /cancerogenus LMG 2693 T (Z96078). All the isolates were found to be enterotoxigenic by causing fluid accumulation in segments of the rabbit ileum. Fluid aspirated from the ileal loops injected with crude enterotoxin were bloody and histopathological examination of the cut segments showed degeneration of the villi with cellular infiltration and exudates, necrosis and ulceration of the villi with hemorrhage.