title: Occurrence of enteropathogenic bacteria in urban pigeons (Columba livia) in Italy.
abstract: This study was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella spp., and related virulence factors (the cdt, stx, and eae genes) in urban pigeons of the coastal area of the Campania region (southern Italy). To achieve this goal, cloacal swab samples from a total of 1800 urban pigeons were collected and subjected to culture methods, PCR, and serotyping. The results of the present study showed a prevalence of 48.3% (870/1800), 7.8% (141/1800), and 0.9% (16/1800), for C. jejuni, E. coli O157, and S. Typhimurium, respectively. All C. jejuni isolates (870/870) carried cdt genes, whereas all E. coli O157 isolates carried stx genes, and 14.9% (21/141) carried the eae gene. These findings clearly show that urban pigeons in the coastal area of the Campania region may constitute an environmental reservoir of these pathogens, thus representing a source of infection for other birds, livestock, and humans.
authors.affiliation: 1 Dipartimento di Patologia e Sanità Animale, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Napoli Federico II , Napoli, Italy .
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.forename: Tamara Pasqualina
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schettini
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mallardo
authors.forename: Mariarosaria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calabria
authors.forename: Lucia Francesca
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Menna
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raia
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pagnini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fioretti
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dipineto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010856:Columbidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors