Escherichia coli pathotypes associated with diarrhea in human and domestic animals

Abstract

Ruminants are important reservoirs for zoonotic pathogenic E. coli. The objective of this study was to characterize pathogenic E. coli isolates from cattle and sheep linked to human illness with respect to their path types, serotypes and genotypes. E. coli O157:H7 isolated from cattle, sheep and human patients were compared for their genomic similarity by Pulsed-Field Gel-Electrophoresis (PFGE). PCR detection of virulence factors associated with different E. coli path types (VTEC, ETEC, EPEC, EAEC and EIEC) revealed that VTEC was the most prevalent path type (22/45; 48.9%), followed by EAEC (3/45; 6.7%), EPEC (1/45; 2.2%), a EPEC (3/45; 6.7%), ETEC (1/45; 2.2%) and EIEC (1/45; 2.2%). E. coli O157:H7 represented the most prevalent VTEC serotypes (11/22; 50%). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis typing revealed exact matches between E. coli O157:H7 isolates from the human patients, sheep and cattle in the same municipality. VTEC play an important cause of diarrhea in human, sheep and cattle. The molecular relatedness between PFGE profiles of E. coli O157:H7 isolates from human, sheep and cattle supported the hypothesis that ruminants especially cattle and sheep act as reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7 for human infection.