Mortality in Kittens Is Associated with a Shift in Ileum Mucosa-Associated Enterococci from Enterococcus hirae to Biofilm-Forming Enterococcus faecalis and Adherent Escherichia coli

Abstract

e Approximately 15% of foster kittens die before 8 weeks of age, with most of these kittens demonstrating clinical signs or postmortem evidence of enteritis. While a specific cause of enteritis is not determined in most cases, these kittens are often empirically administered probiotics that contain enterococci. The enterococci are members of the commensal intestinal microbiota but also can function as opportunistic pathogens. Given the complicated role of enterococci in health and disease, it would be valuable to better understand what constitutes a "healthy" enterococcal community in these kittens and how this microbiota is impacted by severe illness. In this study, we characterized the ileum mucosa-associated enterococcal community of 50 apparently healthy and 50 terminally ill foster kittens. In healthy kittens, Enterococcus hirae was the most common species of ileum mucosa-associated enterococci and was often observed to adhere extensively to the small intestinal epithelium. These E. hirae isolates generally lacked virulence traits. In contrast, non-E. hirae enterococci, notably Enterococcus faecalis, were more commonly isolated from the ileum mucosa of kittens with terminal illness. Isolates of E. faecalis had numerous virulence traits and multiple antimicrobial resistances. Moreover, the attachment of Escherichia coli to the intestinal epithelium was significantly associated with terminal illness and was not observed in any kitten with adherent E. hirae. These findings identify a significant difference in the species of enterococci cultured from the ileum mucosa of kittens with terminal illness compared to the species cultured from healthy kittens. In contrast to prior case studies that associated enteroadherent E. hirae with diarrhea in young animals, these controlled studies identified E. hirae as more often isolated from healthy kittens and adherence of E. hirae as more common and extensive in healthy kittens than in sick kittens.

Characteristics of Dogs with Biofilm‐Forming Escherichia Coli Urinary Tract Infections

“…The potential for disparity has been highlighted using E. coli isolated from people in which the growth of biofilm varied according to growth medium, bacterial source, and nutrient availability . Despite this, the assay remains a valid approximation used frequently in studies because of its affordability, feasibility, and lack of invasiveness. Assessing in vivo biofilm formation may require bladder biopsy, which would likely decrease potential subject enrollment.…”

“…In the veterinary literature, biofilm studies, in particular those involving E. coli , are uncommonly reported, and are limited to case reports of nonurinary diseases such as wounds ( Staphylococcus [pseud]intermedius , Staphylococcus epidermidis , Streptococcus canis) , otitis externa ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa ), implant infections ( S. pseudintermedius ), and experimental endometritis in horses ( P. aeruginosa ) . Similarly, few studies in veterinary medicine describe the increased pathogenicity that biofilms confer, which includes increased mortality in kittens with gastrointestinal dysbiosis ( Enterococcus faecalis , E. coli ), and implied increased severity of bovine mastitis . We are unaware of any published study that compares the population or clinical characteristics of dogs with biofilm‐forming E. coli UTIs to nonbiofilm‐forming E. coli UTIs.…”

In Vitro Efficacy of Nonantibiotic Treatments on Biofilm Disruption of Gram-Negative Pathogens and an In Vivo Model of Infectious Endometritis Utilizing Isolates from the Equine Uterus

“…Treatment was considered to be efficacious against individual isolates if a significant difference (P Ͻ 0.05) in disruption or killing of bacteria was observed. that in human medicine (25,49,50). The results presented in this research agree with other published studies performed in human and veterinary medicine, in which the majority of bacterial isolates associated with disease are capable of forming a biofilm in vitro (17, 25, 43-46, 48, 49).…”

The Microbiome

“…5,17,20,38,55,88,89,115,117,119,126 These microbial changes are accompanied by underlying susceptibilities in the innate immune system of dogs and cats with chronic enteropathies, such as idiopathic IBD, further demonstrating the relationship between gut microbiota and host health. 55,62,63,78,86 It is been shown that the canine microbiota changes with diarrhea, with the most profound changes in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea (AHD), 117 and characterized by significant decreases in Blautia, Ruminococcaceae including Faecalibacterium, and Turicibacter spp., and significant increases in genus Sutterella and Clostridium perfringens compared to healthy dogs (Fig.…”