Biological characteristics and pathogenicity of avian Escherichia coli strains.

Fifty avian (chicken) pathogenic Escherichia coli strains (APEC) isolated from individuals suffering from omphalitis, septicaemia and swollen head syndrome, and 30 strains isolated from healthy chickens were studied regarding their biological characteristics such as serogroups, haemolysin, colicin, cytotoxin, toxin and siderophore production, adhesion capacity to in vitro cultivated cells, and absorption of Congo red dye. Serotyping demonstrated that most of the omphalitis and normal strains were untypable, whereas most of the septicaemic strains were either untypable or rough. There was no prevalent serogroup among the pathogenic strains studied. The capacity for adhesion and invasion of in vitro cultured cells (HeLa, HEp-2, KPCC), as well as the agglutination of different types of red blood cells and the LD50 of each strain were also evaluated. No correlation was observed between the biological characteristics and pathogenicity, except that colicin was characteristically produced by swollen head syndrome E. coli strains. No correlation was found between adhesion or haemagglutination patterns and pathogenicity. Only six of the 50 strains revealed invasive capacity and the strain that best invaded the cell lines was the one with the lowest LD50.     

papA gene of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli

P fimbrial adhesins may be associated with the virulence of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). However, most APECs are unable to express P fimbriae even when they are grown under conditions that favor P fimbrial expression. This failure can be explained by the complete absence of the pap operon or the presence of an incomplete pap operon in Pap-negative APEC strains. In the present study, we analyzed the pap operon, specifically the papA gene that encodes the major fimbrial shaft, to better understand the pap gene cluster at the genetic level. First, by PCR, we examined a collection of 500 APEC strains for the presence of 11 genes comprising the pap operon. Except for papA, all the other genes of the operon were present in 38% to 41.2% of APEC, whereas the papA was present only in 10.4% of the APEC tested. Using multiplex PCR to probe for allelic variants of papA, we sought to determine if the low prevalence of papA among APEC was related to genetic heterogeneity of the gene itself. It was determined that the papA of APEC always belongs to the F11 allelic variant. Finally, we sequenced the 'papA region' from two papA-negative strains, both of which contain all the other genes of the pap operon. Interestingly, both strains had an 11,104-bp contig interruptingpapA at the 281-bp position. This contig harbored a streptomycin resistance gene and a classic Tn10 transposon containing the genes that confer tetracycline resistance. However, we noted that the papA gene of every papA-negative APEC strain was not interrupted by an 11,104-bp contig. It is likely that transposons bearing antibiotic resistance genes have inserted within pap gene cluster of some APEC strains, and such genetic events may have been selected for by antibiotic use.     

Virulence factors of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from chickens with colisepticemia in Japan

The virulence factors of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) isolated in Japan were investigated. Serogroups O, serotypes K1 and K5, and genes cva C, iss, iutA, papA, tsh, and usp, which have been thought to be related to virulence, were examined for their association with E. coli strains isolated from diseased and healthy chickens. The frequently recognized serogroups O1, O2, and O78 were found in 56 of 125 (44.8%) strains of diseased chickens (APEC) versus 13 of 100 (13.0%) strains of healthy chickens (commensal E. coli), a significant difference at risk ratio < 0.01. Although iss, iutA, and tsh were widely distributed in the APEC irrespective of O serogroup, papA, usp, and the K1 serotype were detected in serogroup O2 of APEC. The kfiD gene related to the K5 capsule and VT, LT, and ST genes related to exotoxins were not detected in any strains examined.     

Occurrence of pathogenicity island I(APEC-O1) genes among Escherichia coli implicated in avian colibacillosis

Colibacillosis caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a leading cause of economic loss to the poultry industry worldwide. The ability of APEC to cause disease is determined by certain virulence markers, some of which are located on pathogenicity islands (PAls). We recently described one such PAI in an APEC O1:K1 strain (APEC-O1). This PAI, termed PAI I(APEC-O1), carries the genes of the pap operon, a region similar to the tia invasion determinant of enterotoxigenic E coli; ireA, a gene that encodes an iron-responsive element; and a novel 1.5-kb region, ORF 54. Here, the occurrence of six selected loci of PAI I(APEC-O1) (papA, papC, papG, ireA, tia, and ORF 54) among APEC and fecal E. coli strains from apparently healthy chickens (avian commensal E. coli) was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. None of the commensal E. coli was positive for all six traits, whereas 7.2% of the APEC isolates were positive for all the traits. Although there was no significant difference in the occurrence of ORF 54 among APEC and commensal E. coli, tia, ireA, papC, and papG genes were predominantly present in APEC rather than in avian commensal E. coli. papA was detected in only 6.3% of APEC, perhaps because of the presence of allelic variants of the gene. Additionally, the presence of all six traits was tested with PCR in APEC isolates collected in the 1980s, and these results were compared with those obtained with the APEC isolated in the 1990s. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of tia, ireA, papC, papG, and ORF 54 between APEC isolates collected during the different decades. However, papA was more frequently present in APEC from the 1980s than it was in APEC from the 1990s. Phylogenetic group of an isolate did not correlate with pathogenicity or the presence of PAI traits, except that more APEC of the low-pathogenicity group belonged to the phylogenetic group B1. However, PAI traits occurred more frequently in isolates belonging to the intermediate- and high-pathogenicity groups than in isolates of low pathogenicity.     

AFA and F17 adhesins produced by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in domestic animals.

AFA and F17 are afimbrial and fimbrial adhesins, respectively, produced by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in domestic animals. F17-related fimbriae are mainly detected on bovine and ovine E. coli associated with diarrhoea or septicaemia. The F17-G adhesin subunits recognize N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) receptors present on bovine intestinal cells. Some F17 subtypes also bind to GlcNAc receptors present on human uroepithelial and intestinal Caco-2 cells or to the laminin contained in the basement of mammalian membranes. F17 is often associated with other virulence factors (aerobactin, serum resistance, CNF2 toxin, K99, CS31A or AFA adhesins) on pathogenic E. coli. A cluster of only four genes is required to synthesize functional F17-related fimbrial structures. The hypothesis of multifunctional F17 fimbrial subunits is supported by the fact that: i) the N-terminal part of the adhesin subunit participates in receptor recognition, whereas the C-terminal part is required for biogenesis of the fimbrial filament; and ii) the interaction between structural and adhesin subunits seems to be crucial for the initiation of monomer polymerization. Recently, determinants related to the afa gene clusters from human pathogenic E. coli associated with intestinal and extra-intestinal infections were identified in strains isolated from calves and piglets with diarrhoea and septicaemia. Two afa-related gene clusters, designated afa-7 and afa-8, that encode afimbrial adhesins were cloned and characterized from bovine pathogenic E. coli. These animal afa gene clusters were plasmid and chromosome borne and were expressed by strains that produced other virulence factors such as CNF toxins, F17, PAP and CS31A adhesins. A high frequency of afa-8 and a low prevalence of afa-7 among bovine E. coli isolates were suggested by preliminary epidemiological studies. As with the human afa gene clusters, the animal ones encode an adhesive structure composed of two proteins: AfaE which mediates adhesion to epithelial cells and AfaD which is an invasin.     

Characterization of a plasmid-encoded adhesin of an avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strain isolated from a case of swollen head syndrome (SHS)

An avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strain designated SHS4, isolated from a chicken with clinical signs of swollen head syndrome (SHS), adhered to but did not invade Hep-2 and tracheal epithelial cells. The PCR amplified fimA, csgA and tsh gene sequences. It produced Ia, Ib, E1, E3, K, and B colicins, but not colicin V and aerobactin. It harboured two plasmids of 60 and 98MDa and was resistant to streptomycin and tetracycline. Conjugation with a nalidixic acid (Na) resistant K-12 recipient strain (MS101) showed that the 98MDa plasmid did not transfer, whereas transfer of the 60MDa plasmid resulted in concomitant transfer of adhesion to Hep-2 and tracheal epithelial cells, production of the colicins Ia, E1, E3, and K, and the tsh-related DNA sequence. Transposon (TnphoA) mutagenesis of strain TR4 gave rise to strain Mut23, which lost its adhesive capacities, but was still able to express the same colicins as did strain TR4. PCR was able to amplify the tsh-related DNA sequence in this strain and a molecular probe based on transposon TnphoA indicated that the transposon was inserted in the 60MDa plasmid. Based on these results, we suggest that the 60MDa plasmid have adhesion genes, which may be responsible for the initial colonization of the upper respiratory tract of chickens.     

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli MT78 invades chicken fibroblasts

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) are responsible for extraintestinal diseases, called colibacillosis, in avian species. The most severe manifestation of the disease is colisepticemia that usually starts at the respiratory tract and may result in bird death. However, it is not yet clear how APEC cross the respiratory epithelium and get into the bloodstream. In this work, we studied the interaction between 8 APEC strains (UEL31, UEL17, UEL13, UEL29, MT78, IMT5155, IMT2470, A2363) and a chicken non-phagocytic cell, the fibroblast CEC-32 cell line. We investigated the association profile, the invasion capability, the cytotoxicity effect and the induction of caspase-3/7 activation in an attempt to understand the way the pathogen gains access to the host bloodstream. Association to cells was determined after 1 h of infection, while cell invasion was determined after 4 and 24 h of infection. The cytotoxic effect of bacterial infection was measured by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and the activation of the apoptotic program was verified by caspase-3/7 activation. Also, the presence of genes for adhesins, invasins and other related virulence-associated factors was verified by PCR. All bacterial strains showed similarity in relation to adhesion, LDH release and caspase-3/7 activation. However, one APEC strain, MT78, showed high invasion capability, comparable to the invasive Salmonella typhimurium strain SL1344. Since an APEC strain was capable of invading non-phagocytic cells in vitro, the same may be happening with the epithelial cells of the avian respiratory tract in vivo. CEC-32 monolayers can also provide a useful experimental model to study the molecular mechanisms used by APEC to invade non-phagocytic cells.     

Determination of the clonal structure of avian Escherichia coli strains by isoenzyme and ribotyping analysis

Forty-nine avian Escherichia coli strains isolated from different outbreak cases of septicemia (24), swollen head syndrome (14) and omphalitis (11), and 20 strains isolated from poultry with no signs of the mentioned illnesses, for a total of 69 strains, were typed by isoenzyme profile and ribotyping analysis by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Isoenzyme analysis discriminated better among strains (0-0.07 degree of genetic dissimilarity) than ribotyping analysis (0- 0.02 degree of genetic dissimilarity). The enzyme profiles of the E. coli isolates allowed the identification of 33 clones that were organized into six main clusters (A-F). Cluster A comprised 87% of the pathogenic strains and had no commensal strains, while commensal strains were assigned to clusters B-F. The ribotyping analysis resulted in a more heterogenous distribution of strains but most of those that cause the same type of infection were kept close together. Taken as a whole, these results demonstrate that pathogenic clones are more similar to one another when compared with commensal strains and suggest a correlation between the genetic background and the pathogenic characteristics of avian pathogenic E. coli strains.     

Clinical and microbial efficacy of antimicrobial treatments of experimental avian colibacillosis

The clinical and microbial efficacy of antimicrobial treatments of avian colibacillosis was studied, using an experimental model on chickens previously inoculated with multiresistant commensal Escherichia coli strains. One E. coli with pMG252 plasmid containing bla(FOX5) and qnrA1 genes and another E. coli with pMG298 plasmid containing bla(CTX-M15) and qnrB1 genes were first orally inoculated to chickens Both isolates were also resistant to chloramphenicol, sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim, streptomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, and tetracycline. The birds were then experimentally infected with an avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), via the air sac. Treatments (oxytetracycline (OTC), trimethoprim-sulfadimethoxin (SXT), amoxicillin (AMX) or enrofloxacin (ENR) were then offered at the therapeutic doses. Symptoms, lesions in dead or sacrificed birds, and isolation and characterization of APEC from internal organs were studied. Results showed that OTC, SXT or ENR treatments could control the pathology. AMX worsened the disease, possibly due to endotoxin shock. All APEC re-isolated from internal organs showed the same antimicrobial susceptibility as the APEC inoculated strain, except for one APEC isolate from an infected OTC-treated bird, which acquired tetracycline resistance only, and one APEC isolate recovered from the air sacs of a chicken in the infected SXT-treated group, which acquired the pMG252 plasmid and became multi-resistant. Thus three antimicrobials could control the disease but the experimental model enabled, to our knowledge, the first observation of plasmid transfer from a bacterium of the intestinal tract to a pathogenic isolate from the respiratory tract.     

广西地区禽致病性大肠杆菌的耐药性分析

禽致病性大肠杆菌(APEC)是一种能引起鸡、火鸡和其他鸟类肠外感染的致病性大肠杆菌,可以导致肉鸡气囊炎、败血型全身感染、蜂窝织炎和蛋鸡输卵管炎、腹膜炎。为了了解广西地区禽致病性大肠杆菌的耐药表型以及耐药基因的携带情况,本实验室对2019年从广西分离到的69株APEC采取K-B药敏纸片法进行药敏试验,药敏结果显示,69株APEC对氧氟沙星(56.5%)、恩诺沙星(69.6%)、氟苯尼考(79.7%)、氨苄西林(91.3%)、四环素(98.6%)耐药率较高,而对美罗培南、丁胺卡那霉素、呋喃妥因均不耐药;其中,多重耐药现象严重,对10种抗菌药物以耐4种、5种、6种的情况居多。同时用PCR扩增的方法对其耐药基因,包括碳青霉稀类、β-内酰胺类、氨基糖苷类、黏菌素类、喹诺酮类、四环素类在内的6大类共计17种耐药基因进行了检测。特别值得关注的是,发现了7株携带mcr-1基因的多黏菌素耐药APEC。药敏纸片法检测菌株的耐药表型和耐药基因存在一定关联度。本研究可为养禽场临床用药提供参考,同时为减缓耐药菌传播、降低对人类健康和公共卫生安全威胁提供依据。     

Shiga toxin genes in avian Escherichia coli

The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of stx genes in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). We examined 97 APEC isolates: 34 from lesions of avian cellulitis, 31 from avian septicemia, 13 from swollen head syndrome (SHS) in chickens, and 19 from diseased turkeys. We also examined five isolates from the feces of healthy chickens. All 102 E. coli isolates were tested for the presence of stx genes by PCR amplification and by colony blots using probes specific for stx1 and stx2. Fifty-three percent (52) of the 97 APEC carried stx gene sequences: one isolate carried stx2 sequences, two carried both stx1 and stx2 sequences, and the remaining 49 isolates carried only stx1 sequences. Twenty-six isolates were positive by both hybridization and PCR amplification, 10 were positive by PCR only, and 16 were positive by hybridization only. All the stx-positive isolates were negative by PCR for the eae and E-hlyA genes. The five isolates from healthy chickens were all negative for stx. All 13 SHS isolates were positive for the stx1 gene and had low titres for cytotoxicity in the Vero cell assay (VCA). Other stx-positive isolates were negative in the VCA. The stx1 gene from one SHS E. coli isolate was cloned and sequenced and shown to be identical to that of the stx gene of Shigella dysenteriae. The observations indicate that stx1 gene sequences are widespread among APEC but that cytotoxicity on Vero cells is uncommon.     

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC).

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) cause aerosacculitis, polyserositis, septicemia and other mainly extraintestinal diseases in chickens, turkeys and other avian species. APEC are found in the intestinal microflora of healthy birds and most of the diseases associated with them are secondary to environmental and host predisposing factors. APEC isolates commonly belong to certain serogroups, O1, O2 and O78, and to a restricted number of clones. Several experimental models have been developed, permitting a more reliable evaluation of the pathogenicity of E. coli for chickens and turkeys. Hence, virulence factors identified on APEC are adhesins such as the F1 and P fimbriae, and curli, the aerobactin iron sequestering system, K1 capsule, temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin (Tsh), resistance to the bactericidal effects of serum and cytotoxic effects. Experimental infection studies have shown that the air-exchange regions of the lung and the airsacs are important sites of entry of E. coli into the bloodstream of birds during the initial stages of infection and that resistance to phagocytosis may be an important mechanism in the development of the disease. They have also demonstrated that F1 fimbriae are expressed in the respiratory tract, whereas P fimbriae are expressed in the internal organs of infected chickens. The role of these fimbrial adhesins in the development of disease is not yet, however, fully understood. The more recent use of genetic approaches for the identification of new virulence factors will greatly enhance our knowledge of APEC pathogenic mechanisms. Diagnosis of APEC infections is based on the clinical picture, lesions and isolation of E. coli. This may be strengthened by serotyping and identification of virulence factors using immunological or molecular methods such as DNA probes and PCR. Approaches for the prevention and control of APEC infections include the control of environmental contamination and environmental parameters such as humidity and ventilation. Antibiotherapy is widely used, although APEC are frequently resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. Vaccines containing killed or attenuated virulent bacteria protect against infection with the homologous strain but are less efficient against heterologous strains. Hence, vaccination for colibacillosis is not widely practised because of the large variety of serogroups involved in field outbreaks.     

Serotypes,Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance of Duck Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Jiangsu Province and Its Surrounding Areas

In this study,191 strains of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) were isolated from duck farms in and around Jiangsu province.The serotype,virulence gene distribution and drug resistance of 21 strains (one from each farm) were detected,and the correlation between serotype,virulence gene distribution and drug resistance was analyzed,in order to provide reference for the prevention and control of APEC.The serotypes of 21 APEC strains showed that there were 12 strains of O65,accounting for 57.14% of all strains.The results of virulence gene detection showed that 5 virulence genes had a high distribution rate,among which the positive rate of fimA gene was 100%,and the positive rates of ECs3737,ECs3703,tsh and irp2 genes were 90.5%,85.7%,57.1% and 42.9%,respectively.There were 6 strains (28.57%) with five virulence genes.The results of drug sensitivity test showed that 21 APEC strains had multiple drug resistance,and 100% strains were resistant to enrofloxacin,doxycycline,vancomycin and erythromycin.Among all the strains,85.71% and 14.29% were resistant to more than 10 and 21 kinds of drugs,respectively.The relationship among serotypes,virulence gene distribution and drug resistance showed that there were 13 strains with more than 4 virulence genes,9 of which were O65 serotypes.Among the 13 strains with more than 4 virulence genes,9 strains (69.23%) were resistant to more than 15 drugs,and 3 strains (23.08%) were resistant to more than 20 drugs.The results showed that the serotypes of Escherichia coli isolated from ducks in Jiangsu province and its surrounding areas were complex,carrying a variety of virulence genes,and the drug resistance was serious.     

江苏及周边地区鸭致病性大肠杆菌血清型、毒力因子及耐药研究

本研究旨在明确江苏及周边地区鸭禽致病性大肠杆菌（avian pathogenic Escherichia coli,APEC）的血清型、毒力基因分布和耐药性之间的相关性,以期为APEC的防控提供依据。从江苏省及周边养鸭场分离了191株APEC,并对其中21株（每个养殖场选取1株）的O抗原血清型、毒力基因分布和耐药性进行检测。对21株APEC的血清型检测结果表明,O65血清型12株,占全部菌株的57.14%,O5、O28、O42、O87、O93、O138、O147血清型均为1株,其他血清型2株;毒力基因检测结果表明,5个毒力基因有较高的分布率,其中fimA基因的阳性率为100%,ECs3737、ECs3703、tsh和irp2基因的阳性率分别为90.5%、85.7%、57.1%和42.9%,含有5个毒力基因的菌株共有6株（28.57%）;药敏试验结果表明,21株APEC均存在多重耐药性,100%的分离菌株对恩诺沙星、强力霉素、万古霉素和红霉素耐药,85.71%的分离株对10种以上抗生素耐药,14.29%的菌株对21种药物都耐药;对血清型、毒力基因分布和耐药性之间的关系分析表明,含有4种以上毒力基因的菌株有13株,其中9株是O65血清型。在13株含有4种以上毒力基因的菌株中,耐15种药物以上的有9株（69.23%）,耐20种以上药物的有3株（23.08%）,表明含有4种以上毒力基因的菌株多重耐药现象严重。研究表明,江苏及周边地区鸭源大肠杆菌血清型复杂,携带多种毒力基因,耐药性严重。     

Population structure and virulence content of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from outbreaks in Sri Lanka

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes economically significant infections in poultry. The genetic diversity of APEC and phylogenetic relationships within and between APEC and other pathogenic E. coli are not yet well understood. We used multilocus sequence typing (MLST), PCR-based phylogrouping and virulence genotyping to analyse 75 avian E. coli strains, including 55 isolated from outbreaks of colisepticaemia and 20 from healthy chickens. Isolates were collected from 42 commercial layer and broiler chicken farms in Sri Lanka. MLST identified 61 sequence types (ST) with 44 being novel. The most frequent ST, ST48, was represented by only six isolates followed by ST117 with four isolates. Phylogenetic clusters based on MLST sequences were mostly comparable to phylogrouping by PCR and MLST further differentiated phylogroups B1 and D into two subgroups. Genotyping of 16 APEC associated virulence genes found that 27 of the clinical isolates and one isolate from a healthy chicken belonged to highly virulent genotype according to previously established classification schemes. We found that a combination of four genes, ompT, hlyF, iroN and papC, gave a comparable prediction to that of using five and nine genes by other studies. Four STs (ST10, ST48, ST117 and ST2016) contained APEC isolates from this study and human UPEC isolates reported by others, suggesting that these STs are potentially zoonotic. Our results enhanced the understanding of APEC population structure and virulence association.     

常见耐药基因多重PCR方法的建立及用于禽致病性大肠杆菌耐药性监测

本研究旨在建立β-内酰胺类、四环素类、氨基苷类、酰胺醇类、磺胺类抗菌药物耐药基因的多重PCR检测方法,用于耐药基因的快速检测。根据GenBank公布的上述5类抗菌药物的耐药基因序列,设计17对特异性引物。通过优化PCR体系和反应程序,建立4组耐药基因（cat+floR+tetB+tetC;dfrA12+sul2+sul1+bla_CTX-M+bal_TEM-1;aac3+aph3+aadA1+strB;tetA+cmlA+strA+sul3）的多重PCR反应体系。然后,检测多重PCR方法的特异性和敏感性。利用建立的多重PCR方法检测42株禽致病性大肠杆菌的耐药基因,同时,检测其耐药性,比较分析耐药基因和耐药表型之间的相关性。结果显示,建立的4组多重PCR体系可有效扩增出17个耐药基因片段,测序结果表明特异性较好。敏感性结果表明,4组多重PCR体系的菌液敏感性分别为10³、10⁴、10⁴和10⁵CFU。禽致病性大肠杆菌分离株的耐药基因多重PCR和单重PCR检测结果一致,其携带的耐药基因和耐药表型的符合率为92.86%。本研究建立的耐药基因多重PCR方法能简便、快速地检测常见的耐药基因,可用于耐药基因的传播、流行调查。     

Development and Application of Multiplex PCR Method for the Drug Resistance Genes Detection in Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli

To detect the drug resistance genes, the multiplex PCR method for drug resistance genes of β-lactams, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, amphenicols, and sulfonamides were developed. Based on the sequences of drug resistance genes from GenBank, 17 pairs of specific primers were designed. Then, 4 multiple PCR assays were established through the optimization of PCR reaction conditions and primers concentrations (cat+floR+tetB+tetC; dfrA12+sul2+sul1+bla_CTX-M+bal_TEM-1; aac3+aph3+aadA1+strB; tetA+cmlA+strA+sul3). The sensitivity and specificity of these assays were determined. The multiplex PCR assays were used to detect the drug resistance genes of 42 avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). The drug sensitivity of these APEC strains were also determined, which were compared to the distributions of drug resistance genes in these strains. The results showed that the 17 drug resistance genes were effectively and specifically amplified in these 4 optimized multiplex PCR assays. The detection limits of the 4 multiplex PCR were 10³, 10⁴, 10⁴ and 10⁵CFU of bacteria, respectively. The established multiplex PCR assays are specific and rapid for the detection of drug resistance genes in APEC strains, which showed 92.86% coincident with the drug resistance for these strains. The developed 4 multiplex PCR are simple and rapid assays for drug resistance genes detection, which can be used for the epidemiologic study for drug resistance genes.     

Characteristics of necrotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from septicemic and diarrheic calves between 1958 and 1970

A total of 434 Escherichia coli isolated from septicemic calves between 1958 and 1965 and 430 E. coli isolated from diarrheic calves between 1967 and 1970 were studied by colony hybridisation and PCR assays for the presence of the cnf1- and the cnf2-like genes. They were also studied for the presence of genes coding for putative virulence factors associated with the CNF toxins including F17-, Pap- and Sfa-fimbrial adhesins and the recently described CDT-III toxin and AfaVIII-afimbrial adhesin. Thirty (7%) of the 434 septicemic strains were positive for CNF by colony hybridisation. Twenty-six were confirmed as necrotoxigenic E. coli type 2 (NTEC2) and four as NTEC1 by PCR. Thirty-five (8%) of the 430 diarrheic strains were positive for CNF by colony hybridisation. Five of them were studied by PCR and confirmed as NTEC1. The 26 septicemic NTEC2 strains and 20 of the 35 diarrheic NTEC including three of the five NTEC1 were positive for CDT-III. All adhesins studied were present in NTEC as well as in non-NTEC. NTEC1 were mainly Pap-, Sfa- and/or Afa8-positive, whereas NTEC2 were mainly F17- and/or Afa8-positive. This study shows that necrotoxigenic E. coli with their associated adhesins and toxins were present in calves as early as 1958, but their prevalence seems to have increased since that time.     

禽病原性大肠杆菌部分毒力相关基因的克隆及序列分析

克隆并分析禽病原性大肠杆菌(avian pathogenic Escherichia coli,APEC)部分毒力基因,探寻APEC毒力因子的变异和进化发生关系。以APEC中国分离株为模板,PCR扩增其部分毒力基因(fimC,kpsM,csgA,papC,felA,cvaC,iss),并测定了这些毒力基因扩增片段的核苷酸序列,与GenBank中的同一基因进行序列比较。PCR扩增产物经克隆、酶切鉴定,均与预期结果一致,序列分析结果表明上述毒力因子在APEC中的保守性非常高,均能达到99%以上。与其他来源大肠杆菌的同一基因的同源性也非常高,但不同基因间有所差别。APEC分离株的受试部分毒力因子的变异程度非常小,保守性很高,一些毒力因子与人源致肠外感染大肠杆菌的毒力因子同源性也很高,说明APEC与人源致肠外感染大肠杆菌的亲缘关系很近。     

Genotypic and phenotypic diversity differences of presumptive commensal and avian pathogenic E. coli

1. The objective of the experiment was to characterise the genotypic and phenotypic differences between presumptive commensal E. coli and avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) of poultry.

2. DNA was extracted from 65 confirmed APEC E. coli from chicken, 100 presumptive commensal E. coli from healthy turkey and 35 from healthy chicken. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR) and virulence factors genotyping was performed to characterise genetic features.

3. Carbon source utilisation and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed to characterise phenotypic features of isolates.

4. The genetic divergence between E. coli strains tested by ERIC-PCR profiles and virulence-associated genes showed a clear genetic separation between E. coli APEC and turkey E. coli strains.

5. The carbon utilisation profile of turkey isolates was different from chicken and APEC strains; whereas antimicrobial susceptibility was highest for turkey isolates (53%), and lowest for APEC strains (33.8%).

6. The study showed a significant negative correlation between utilisation of arabitol and adonitol with different virulence determinants tested, which suggests that the ability to utilise some uncommon carbon sources may be used to discriminate between presumptive commensal E. coli and APEC.