Characterization of Monkey Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Human Typical and Atypical EPEC Serotype Isolates from Neotropical Nonhuman Primates

Abstract

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) has been associated with infantile diarrhea and mortality in humans in developing countries. While diarrhea is also a major problem among primates kept in captivity, the role of E. coli is unclear. This study was designed to characterize diarrheagenic E. coli recovered from the feces of 56 New World nonhuman primates, primarily marmosets (Callithrix spp.). Seventeen of the 56 primates had signs of diarrhea and/or enteritis. E. coli recovered from feces from these animals was tested by PCR for genes encoding virulence factors of diarrheagenic E. coli and for patterns of adherence to HeLa cells. In addition, isolates were characterized by the fluorescence actin staining test and by their ability to induce attaching and effacing lesions. PCR for the eae gene was positive in 10 of the 39 (27%) apparently healthy animals and in 8 of the 17 (47%) animals with diarrhea and/or enteritis. Colonies of eae ؉ E. coli were serotyped and examined by PCR for genes encoding EPEC virulence markers. The eae ؉ E. coli isolates recovered from both healthy and sick nonhuman primates demonstrated virulence-associated attributes similar to those of EPEC strains implicated in human disease and are designated monkey EPEC. The results presented here indicate that EPEC may be a significant pathogen for nonhuman primates, deserving further investigation. The similarities between the affected animals investigated in this study and human EPEC infections suggest that marmosets may represent an important model for EPEC in humans.

Typing of Intimin ( eae ) Genes in Attaching and Effacing Escherichia coli Strains from Monkeys

“…In contrast to STEC, EPEC strains do not produce Shiga toxins. EPEC strains are a major cause of infant diarrhea in developing parts of the world and are pathogenic to several animal species (rabbits, calves, dogs, sheep, pigs, and primates) (3,4,5,14). However, the serotypes of human and animal EPEC strains are usually different.…”

“…Mansfield et al (9,10) associated a Shiga toxin-negative AEEC O156:HϪ, intimin ε-positive strain with a simian immunodeficiency virus opportunistic infection in rhesus monkeys (10) and a Shiga toxin-negative AEEC O26:HϪ ε intimin-positive strain with ulcerative colitis in cotton-top tamarins (9). Recently, Carvalho et al (5) found that AEEC strains harboring genes for intimin production (eae positive) and lacking genes for Shiga toxin production (stx1 and stx2 negative) were the only group of diarrheagenic E. coli strains isolated from fecal samples of diarrheic and healthy marmosets. Eighteen of 56 (32%) animals carried E. coli strains with the eae gene, including 8 of 17 (47%) with diarrhea and/or enteritis and 10 of 39 (26%) healthy animals.…”

Expression of aggregative adherence to hela cells by Escherichia coli strains isolated from sick horses

“…AA+ E. coli has been previously found in feces of monkeys and dogs (6,27), but to our knowledge, the present study is the first description of such strains in horses. Moreover, as far as we know, the presence of AA+ E. coli strains in host regions outside the intestinal tract has been reported only in human urinary tract infections (14,15).…”

“…In various animal species, E. coli strains sharing one or more characteristics with human pathogenic E. coli have been reported (3,5,6,16,25,27,30). In horses, E. coli is one of the most common organisms in feces and blood of septic foals (19,20,23) and is frequently detected in samples from endometritis and other important equine diseases (17,18,20,26,31).…”

Caracterização molecular de Escherichia coli enteropatogênica atípica em animais silvestres capturados na Região Amazônica

“…Apenas um marsupial foi identificado como portador da aEPEC, porém a sequência isolada apresentou 100% de similaridade com aquelas observadas em roedores. A grande diversidade genômica da E. coli lhe confere uma notável plasticidade ecológica; graças a ela, esses microrganismos adaptam-se rapidamente a diferentes ambientes, podendo, dessa forma, passar de organismo de vida livre a comensal do trato intestinal dos animais de sangue quente e, ainda, a patógenos que infectam humanos e animais 6,9,25,27,28,29,30 .…”