Enteritis in small ruminants is a major field problem that causes great morbidity and mortality rates. Several agents are responsible for enteritis in small ruminants as bacteria (aerobic and anaerobic), parasites and viruses. In the present study, a total of 165 fecal samples and fecal swabs were collected from sheep and goats (107 sheep and 58 goats) belonging to farms at EL- Sharkia province during the period from November 2018 to May 2019. They were subjected to bacteriological and parasitological examinations. The obtained results showed that diarrhea was more common in young animals (lambs and kids) than in older ones. Fourteen sheep and nine goats were complicated cases and showed mixed infection with both
bacteria and parasites. Isolated aerobic bacterial species from sheep included of E.coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were isolated in prevalence rates of 27.6%, 7.1%, 3.1% and 1.0% respectively. On the other hand E.coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella pneumonia were isolated from goats in prevalence rates of 29.6%, 6.8%and4.5% respectively. Mixed infection in sheep and goats was 14.3%,20.5% respectively. The E.coli isolates belonged to the following serotypes O86 (2 isolates), O113 (2 isolates), O119 (2 isolates), O125 and O158 one isolate each, while the untypable isolates were 2. Salmonella typing resulted in S. typhimurium (3 isolates) and S. enteritidis (2 isolate). C. perfringens was isolated representing an incidence of 25.5% as 25/98 from sheep and 10/44 (22.7%) from goats. While 17 toxigenic strains of C. perfringens (68%) were recovered from sheep and 4 strains (40%) from goats, non-toxigenic strains were 8 (32%) and (6) (60%) from sheep and goats respectively. All toxigenic C. perfringens isolates belonged to type A. Results of parasitological examination revealed that Giardia, cryptosporidium and coccidiawere detected in sheep samples in prevalence rates of 5.1%, 12.2% and 4.1% respectively.In goat, the incidence rates of cryptosporidium and coccidia were 11.4% and 4.5% respectively. The results of antibiotic sensitivity test showed that all bacterial isolates were mostly highly
resistancetoAmpicillin,Amoxicillin,penicillin,Trimethoprim/Sulphamethoxazole,Vancomycin, while they were mostly highly sensitive to Ceftriaxon and Ciprofloxacin. Application of PCR for detection of virulence eaeA gene of E. coli was detected in three strains of different serogroups (O113, O125 and O158). Also the virulence stn gene of Salmonellae was detected
in S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis while the antibiotic-resistant of blaTEM gene of E. coli and Salmonella were detected by PCR and blaTEM and Tet (A) genes were detected in all the seven tested serotypes. Virulence and antibiotic resistant genes of Clostridium perfringens detection by PCR showed that the Clostridium perfringens isolates harboured CPA virulence genes in all isolates by amplification of a 324bp Product. Two C. perfringens isolates were harboring erythromycin
resistance gene the detected resistance gene erm (B) were detected in sheep samples and one isolate in goat by amplification of a 638bp. product Vancomycin resistance gene was detected in one isolate of sheep positive by amplification of a 732bp. product and not detected in goat isolates. Also tetracycline antibiotic resistance gene was not detected in all tested isolates.