title: Haemolytic Escherichia coli strains isolated from stools of healthy cats produce cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1 (CNF1).
abstract: A total of 159 Escherichia coli colonies isolated from the stools of 23 healthy cats were studied for production of alpha-haemolysin (Hly), enterohaemolysin (EntHly), cytotoxic necrotizing factors (CNF1 and CNF2), verotoxins (VT) and heat-labile enterotoxin (LT). Hly+CNF1+, Hly+CNF2+, Hly+VT+ and Hly+ E. coli colonies were isolated from 12 (48%), 1 (4%), 1 (4%) and 2 (8%) respectively of the cats sampled. None of the 159 E. coli colonies produced LT or EntHly. Nine of 12 Hly+CNF1+ strains from the cats belonged to serogroup O6 and eleven to serotypes (O4:K?:H5 or H-, O6:K13:H1, O6:K53:H-, O6:K53:H1, O6:K53:H7 and O6:K14:H31) found among Hly+CNF1+ E. coli that cause urinary tract infections and sepsis in humans. Furthermore, 10 Hly+CNF1+ strains from the cats expressed the mannose-resistant haemagglutination (MRHA) type III. By contrast, the majority of nontoxigenic E. coli strains were MRHA negative and belonged to different O groups. We conclude that cats are a important reservoir of Hly+CNF1+ E. coli strains that possess similar characteristics to strains that can cause extraintestinal infections in humans and that Hly+ E. coli from cats usually do not produce shiga-like toxins with cytotoxic activity on Vero cells.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Blanco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D002415:Cats; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006461:Hemolysis
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C060296:cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1