Detection of pathogenic, heteropathogenic and hybrid Escherichia coli strains in psittacines from zoos and breeders in the state of Ceará, Brazil.

Journal: Comparative Immunology, Microbiology And Infectious Diseases
Published:
Abstract

The current study aimed to detect virulence, hetero-pathogenicity, and hybridization genes in Escherichia coli strains, previously isolated from cloacal swabs in commercial breeding psittacines and zoological collections, via multiplex PCR. A total of 68 strains of E. coli, previously isolated from psittacines in zoos and commercial breeding facilities in Ceará, Brazil, were assessed for the presence of the following genes and/or probes: eae, bfpA (EPEC - Enteropathogenic E. coli), CVD432 (EAEC - Enteroaggregative E. coli); LT gene and ST gene (ETEC - Enterotoxigenic E. coli); ipaH (EIEC - Enteroinvasive E. coli); stx1 and stx2 (STEC - Shiga toxin-producing E. coli); iroN, ompT, hlyF, iss, and iutA (APEC - Avian pathogenic E. coli). Of the 68 E. coli strains analyzed, 61 (98.7 %) were positive for the following genes and/or probes: Stx1 (61/98.7 %), ST gene (54/79.4 %), CVD432 (49/72 %), bfpA (44/64.7 %), eae (42/61.8 %), Stx2 (41/60.3 %), ipaH (34/50 %), LT gene (33/48.5 %), iroN (21/30.9 %), hlyF (11/6.2 %), iss (06/8.8 %) and iutA (06/8.8 %). The following diarrheagenic pathotypes were identified: 66 (97 %) from STEC, 49 (72 %) from EAEC, 35 (52 %) from EIEC, 25 (37 %) from ETEC, and one (1.5 %) from EPEC. Regarding hetero-pathogenicity, 50 (74 %) heterogeneous strains were identified. Positivity for APEC was seen in four (6 %) strains, all characterized as pathogenic hybrids. This study describes significant associations of virulence factors in E. coli strains DEC/DEC and DEC/APEC, which were isolated from psittacines and may be potentially harmful to One Health.

Authors
Bruno Lima, William Maciel, Anderson Almeida, Régis De Castro Teixeira, Adson Marques, Neilton Monteiro Filho, Cibelle Mara De Freitas, Antônio Jackson Beleza, Karina De Abreu