High Biofilm-Forming Ability and Clonal Dissemination among Colistin-Resistant Isolates Recovered from Cows with Mastitis, Diarrheic Calves, and Chickens with Colibacillosis in Tunisia.

Background: () is one of the main etiological agents responsible for bovine mastitis (BM), neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD), and avian colibacillosis (AC). This study aimed to assess resistance and virulence genes content, biofilm-forming ability, phylogenetic groups, and genetic relatedness in isolates recovered from clinical cases of BM, NCD, and AC.

Materials/methods: A total of 120 samples including samples of milk ( = 70) and feces ( = 50) from cows with BM and calves with NCD, respectively, were collected from different farms in Northern Tunisia.