title: Detection & characterization of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) & enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in poultry birds with diarrhoea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Limited information is available on shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in animals and birds from India. An outbreak of acute diarrhoea in poultry birds at Aizawl, Mizoram was investigated for detection and characterization of STEC and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC).
  
  
  METHODS
  E. coli was isolated and identified from rectal swabs, intestinal contents, heart blood and spleen of 19 poultry birds that died due to acute diarrhoea during the outbreak. Phenotypic characterization was done by standard bacteriological and biochemical techniques. All the isolates were serotyped based on their somatic antigens. Virulence genes (stx 1, stx 2, eaeA and hlyA) were detected by multiplex PCR assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 42 E. coli isolates were obtained, of which 24 belonged to 3 serogroups (O64, O89 and O91) and the remaining 18 were untypable (UT). Altogether, 14 (33.33%) isolates carried at least 1 virulence gene, of which 10 (23.81%) and 4 (9.52%) were recorded as STEC and EPEC, respectively. Of the 10 STEC isolates, one carried only stx2 , one carried stx 2 and hlyA, four carried stx1 , stx2 and hlyA, two carried stx 1, eaeA and hlyA genes and two carried stx 1 and eaeA. Of the four EPEC isolates, two carried eaeA and hlyA, one carried only eaeA gene and 1 carried only hlyA gene.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report on the involvement of STEC in poultry in India.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Aizawl, Mizoram, India. tapandutta@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roychoudhury
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bandyopadhyay
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wani
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hussain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D054308:Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004926:Escherichia coli; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D010641:Phenotype; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D037521:Virulence Factors