Table 5.
Semiquantitative description of the number and distribution of adherent enterococci in the intestinal tracts of kittens
| No. of adherent enterococcia | Group A (no.) |
Group B (no.) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kittens | Bacterial distribution |
Kittens | Bacterial distribution |
|||
| Focal | Diffuse | Focal | Diffuse | |||
| Scant | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Mild | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Moderate | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Severe | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 9 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
a
Adherent enterococci were identified by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization. Kittens were apparently healthy (group A; n = 9) or had died or were euthanized due to severe illness (group B; n = 7). Representative images of each description can be seen in Fig. 2.