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The veterinary quarterly2000; 22(3); 162-166; doi: 10.1080/01652176.2000.9695048

Characterization of Escherichia coli isolated from adult horses with and without enteritis.

Abstract: In the present study E. coli strains isolated from the faeces of ten horses with diarrhoea and 14 horses without diarrhoea were characterized. All horses were culture negative for Salmonella species. Nine colonies of E. coli from each faecal sample were picked at random and a DNA fingerprint was made by means of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC) primers. The number of E. coli genotypes did not differ significantly between horses with and without diarrhoea. In addition, all E. coli strains with different DNA fingerprints were tested by PCR for genes encoding the virulence factors K88, F41, F17, CS31a, Sta1, LT1, VT2, CNF, BFP, and intimin. Genes coding for K88, F41, BFP, STa1, VT2, and CS31A were not detected. Genes for CNF were found in strains from one horse with diarrhoea and one horse with normal faeces. Genes for LT1 (n=1) and intimin (n=1) were found only in strains from horses with normal faeces. Genes for F17 fimbriae were found in strains from three horses with diarrhoea (30%) and in none of the strains from healthy horses. In two of these horses, E. coli strains with different DNA polymorphism patterns were F17 positive; however, none of these strains possessed LT1, Sta1, or CNF genes. Haemolytic E. coli strains were only isolated from two horses with diarrhoea and from none of the healthy horses. Nineteen percent of all E. coli strains did not ferment lactose. Eight per cent of these lactose-negative strains were from horses with diarrhoea, whereas 32% were from horses without diarrhoea. In conclusion, virulence factors were present in E. coli isolates from horses with and without diarrhoea, except for F17, which was only found in E. coli isolated from horses with diarrhoea. F17-positive E. coli might have importance as cause of diarrhoea in horses, but further studies are needed.
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Publication Date: 2000-08-22 PubMed ID: 10952448DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2000.9695048Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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This research article investigates the characteristics of E. coli strains isolated from horses with and without enteritis (intestinal inflammation often marked by diarrhoea). It concluded that specific virulence factors were present in E. coli from both groups, except for F17 which was only found in horses with enteritis.

Study overview

  • The researchers gathered E. coli samples from feces of 24 horses. Ten of these horses were suffering from diarrhoea, while the remaining 14 showed no symptoms.
  • The goal was to understand if there is a significant difference in the strains of E. coli in both groups that might underline the cause of diarrhoea in horses.
  • Through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique using ERIC primers, the researchers performed DNA profiling of E. coli samples.
  • Further, they examined the presence of genes coding for various virulence factors within these E. coli strains.

Key Findings

  • The study concluded that there was no significant difference in the number of E. coli genotypes between horses with and without diarrhoea.
  • Several genes coding for virulence factors were found in both groups, except for F17. F17 was discovered only in E. coli strains from horses with diarrhoea.
  • On further examination, it was found that haemolytic E. coli strains (those capable of breaking down red blood cells) were isolated only from horses with diarrhoea, not from healthy ones.
  • About 19% of all E. coli strains sampled did not ferment lactose. Among these, 8% were from horses with diarrhoea, whereas 32% were from horses without diarrhoea.

Implications

  • The findings indicate the potential role of the F17-positive E. coli strain in causing diarrhoea in horses.
  • However, the researchers urge for more studies to strengthen these results and explore the absence or presence of other possible virulence factors in E. coli strains.
  • The study adds to the growing body of evidence regarding the complex nature of E. coli infections in animals and their link to specific virulence factors.

Cite This Article

APA
van Duijkeren E, van Asten AJ, Gaastra W. (2000). Characterization of Escherichia coli isolated from adult horses with and without enteritis. Vet Q, 22(3), 162-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2000.9695048

Publication

The veterinary quarterly
ISSN: 0165-2176
NlmUniqueID: 7909485
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 22
Issue: 3
Pages: 162-166

Researcher Affiliations

van Duijkeren, E
  • Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. E.Duijkeren@vet.uu.nl
van Asten, A J
    Gaastra, W

      MeSH Terms

      • Animals
      • DNA Fingerprinting / veterinary
      • Diarrhea / microbiology
      • Diarrhea / veterinary
      • Enteritis / microbiology
      • Enteritis / veterinary
      • Escherichia coli / genetics
      • Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
      • Escherichia coli / pathogenicity
      • Escherichia coli Infections / microbiology
      • Escherichia coli Infections / veterinary
      • Feces / microbiology
      • Female
      • Fimbriae, Bacterial
      • Genotype
      • Horse Diseases / microbiology
      • Horses
      • Male
      • Molecular Sequence Data
      • Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
      • Virulence

      Citations

      This article has been cited 8 times.
      1. Dhehibi A, Allaoui A, Raouafi A, Terrak M, Bouhaouala-Zahar B, Hammadi M, Raouafi N, Salhi I. Nanobody-Based Sandwich Immunoassay for Pathogenic Escherichia coli F17 Strain Detection. Biosensors (Basel) 2023 Feb 20;13(2).
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        doi: 10.1186/s12866-015-0514-5pubmed: 26377067google scholar: lookup
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      7. Carvalho VM, Gyles CL, Ziebell K, Ribeiro MA, Catão-Dias JL, Sinhorini IL, Otman J, Keller R, Trabulsi LR, Pestana de Castro AF. Characterization of monkey enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and human typical and atypical EPEC serotype isolates from neotropical nonhuman primates. J Clin Microbiol 2003 Mar;41(3):1225-34.
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        doi: 10.3390/antibiotics14121185pubmed: 41463689google scholar: lookup
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