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Epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE), a highly lethal (30-80% mortality) disease of broiler rabbits aged 6-14 weeks, first appeared in 1997 in French intensive enclosed rabbitries and is of unknown aetiology. Bacteriological, virological and parasitical examination of the intestinal contents of rabbits that had died either in spontaneous field cases or after experimental reproduction of ERE, were undertaken in an attempt to identify infectious agents that may play a role in the disease. Two bacterial strains, Clostridium perfringens and non-enteropathogenic Escherichia coli were repeatedly isolated at high faecal counts from naturally infected animals. In field cases, a correlation between typical gross lesions of epizootic enteropathy and the presence of the alpha toxin of Cl. perfringens was observed (P<0.0001; Chi-squared test). Although attempts to reproduce the disease by inoculation with different pools of cultivable bacterial strains failed, the disease was successfully reproduced by inoculation with one French and two Belgian samples of caecal contents.

Salmonella Enteritidis is one of the most prevalent foodborne pathogen, its main reservoir being considered the shell egg. As the concerns related to the increasing human salmonellosis cases grow, the need for an application of preventive methods either at the farm level or during the processing steps is crucial for a better control of the foodborne outbreaks due to the consumption of this specific food product. This review focuses on the application of preventive methods at the farm level, on preharvest step, in order to reduce the risk of shell eggs contamination with Salmonella, especially S. Enteritidis, through a better control of the laying hens' infection with this pathogen. As postharvest methods, a 1st approach is the egg storage conditions and the prevention of Salmonella spp. growth and multiplication. In addition, shell eggs may be subjected to eggshell decontamination, to reduce the risk of foodborne outbreaks. Several of these latter mentioned methods are already authorized to be put in place in different countries, as it is the case in the United States of America and Canada. Their efficacy has been proven and their use is regarded by some as mandatory for ensuring shell eggs safety for the consumers.

A collection of 1601 extraintestinal and intestinal Escherichia coli isolated from chickens, turkeys and ducks, in Belgium, France and Spain, was hybridised with gene probes specific for fimbrial and afimbrial adhesins (F17, F18, S hSfa/F1Ci, Bfp, Afa, Cs31A, Intimin hEaei, Aida-1) of intestinal, urinary and invasive E. coli of mammals and with a probe specific for the P (Pap/Prs) fimbrial adhesin of urinary and invasive E. coli of mammals and birds. Three hundred and eightythree strains (23.9%) were P-positive, 76 strains (4.8%) were Afa-positive, 75 strains (4.7%) were F17-positive, 67 strains (4.2%) were S-positive, 23 (1.4%) were Intimin-positive, and all were F18-, Cs31A-, Aida1-and Bfp-negative. The 75 F17-positive strains harboured different major subunit A-encoding gene variants, but the f17Ac variant was the most frequent (52 strains, 69.3%) and seven strains (9.3%) were not typeable. The f17G gene variant coding for the GII adhesin was the most frequent (56 strains, 75.0%), whereas the f17GI gene variant was present in four strains (5%) and 15 strains (20.0%) were not typeable. All Afa-positive strains harboured the afa-8 variant. The 23 Intimin-positive E. coli tested positive for the b-variant (16 strains; 69.6%) or for the g-variant (seven strains; 30.4%) of the eae gene. Chicken and turkey E. coli were more frequently probe-positive (43.6 and 43.1%, respectively) than duck E. coli (31.5%) and extraintestinal E. coli were also more frequently probe-positive (48.4%) than intestinal strains (18.5%). Different combinations of probe positive hybridisation results were observed in 72 of the 540 probe-positive E. coli (13.3%). The most frequent combinations were between AfaE-8 and F17 probes (47 strains; 8.7%) and between P and S probes (13 strains; 2.4%). Although f17-and afa-8-related DNA sequences can be plasmid-located in mammalian E. coli, they were not in avian E. coli. Besides the P fimbrial adhesins, F17 and S fimbrial and Afa-VIII and Intimin afimbrial adhesins may thus represent colonisation factors of avian pathogenic E. coli. #

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