title: Captive and free-living urban pigeons (Columba livia) from Brazil as carriers of multidrug-resistant pathogenic Escherichia coli.
abstract: Thirty Escherichia coli isolates from captive and free-living pigeons in Brazil were characterised. Virulence-associated genes identified in pigeons included those which occur relatively frequently in avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) from commercial poultry worldwide. Eleven of 30 E. coli isolates from pigeons, belonging mainly to B1 and B2 phylogenetic groups, had high or intermediate pathogenicity for 1-day-old chicks. The frequency of multi-drug resistant (MDR) E. coli in captive pigeons was relatively high and included one isolate positive for the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) gene blaCTX-M-8. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed high heterogeneity among isolates. There is potential for pigeons to transmit antibiotic resistant pathogenic E. coli to other species through environmental contamination or direct contact.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: clarissa.araujob@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Clarissa A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Evolution and Bioagents, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Maluta
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lívia G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Beraldo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marita V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Cardozo
authors.affiliation: Biological Institute, Advanced Center for Technological Research of Poultry Agribusiness, Bastos, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elisabete A L
authors.initials: EAL
authors.lastname: Guastalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Subhashinie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kariyawasam
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Chitrita
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DebRoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Ávila
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001938:Brazil; D002353:Carrier State / Q000662:veterinary*; D002947:Cities; D002988:Cloaca / Q000382:microbiology; D010856:Columbidae; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000662:veterinary; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli; Multidrug resistance; Multilocus sequence typing; Pigeons; Virulence genes