title: Detection of genes encoding for virulence and adherence factors in Escherichia coli isolated in slaughtered Sarda breed sheep.
abstract: In order to investigate the pathogenic profile of Escherichia coli hosted in "Sarda" sheep, autochthonous race present in Sardinia, thirty-seven E. coli strains collected from different sources (fleeces, carcass swabs and gut mucosa) of pre-chill slaughtered sheep (ewes and lambs) were serotyped using pheno- and genotypic methods. Furthermore, the presence of genes encoding for virulence factors and mediating for localized mucosal adherence factors was investigated, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) characterization was performed. Twenty-one (56.8%) of the isolates belonged to O91 serogroup and sixteen (43.2%) belonged to nine different serotypes (O5:H11, O8:H14, O26:H2, O38:H26, O116:H9, O116:H11, O132:H34, O149:H?, O161:H-). Of these non-O91 strains, five (13.5%) were able to produce verocytotoxin (VT) and were ascribed to VTEC pathogroup, eleven (29.7%) were attributed to the Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) pathogroup; the other strains (n.21) cannot be ascribed to a pathogenic group. However, various associated virulence genes were observed in all isolated strains. Macrorestriction analysis highlighted a large heterogeneity of the E. coli strains. The results confirm the role of sheep as reservoir of pathogenic E. coli serotypes potentially able to colonize and to damage the intestinal mucosa.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Busia
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mureddu
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meloni
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Simonetta G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Consolati
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.affiliation: Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.affiliation: Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine Department, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy. Electronic address: rmazzett@uniss.it.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mazzette
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007558:Italy; D012703:Serotyping; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins
keywords: Associated virulence factors; Escherichia coli; PCR; Serotyping; Sheep