Virulence traits of avian pathogenic (APEC) and fecal (AFEC) E. coli isolated from broiler chickens in Algeria

AbstractAvian pathogenicE. coli (APEC) is the etiologic agent of avian colibacillosis, the most common disease responsible for chicken morbidity in the world. Although multiple virulence-associated factors were identified, their prevalence in Algeria is still poorly known. In the present research, 92 avian pathogenicE. coli (APEC) isolates were recovered from broilers with clinical signs and lesions of colibacillosis. In addition, 32E. coli isolates collected from feces of healthy birds (AFEC) were included for comparison. All isolates were investigated by PCR for the presence of a total of 11 virulence-associated genes described for avian pathogenic (iroN,ompT,hlyF,iss,iutA, andfimC) and diarrheagenicE. coli (eae,stx,elt/est,ipaH, andaggR). The sensitivity of 39 APEC isolates to 16 antibiotics was also determined using antimicrobial pretreated microplates. Here, we report that 98% of the examined isolates host at least one of the tested virulence factors. The most prevalent genes in APEC wereiutA (90.6%),ompT (86.9%), andiss (85.8%); whereas,iutA (78.1%),fimC (78.1%), andiroN (68.7%) were the highest prevalent genes in AFEC. Our data showed that none of the AFEC isolates harbor any of the tested diarrheagenic genes. Moreover, onlyelt/est (5.4%),stx (2.1%), andipaH (2.1%) genes were carried by APEC isolates. We further established that ceftazodime, ceftiofur, mequindox, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and meropenem were the most efficient antibiotics against the analyzed APEC is...
Source: Tropical Animal Health and Production - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research