First molecular detection of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in dogs from serbia: a potential threat to human health?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.2569.18469.2Keywords:
STEC, E. coli, Shiga toxin, dogs, PCRAbstract
Shiga toxin‑producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are considered one of the most significant E. coli pathotypes transmitted by food, causing life‑threatening conditions in children and elderly people. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and determine the prevalence of STEC in dogs in Serbia by conventional PCR method, targeting three major virulence genes (stx1, stx2, and eae). The overall percentage of positive samples was 12.87% (13/101), with the stx2 gene, the more potent of the two toxins, found in all the positive samples. The finding of eae gene in combination with stx genes (8/13) within the same genetic pool implies the potential presence of enterohemorrhagic E. coli or the potential emergence of these strains, considering an efficient mechanism of horizontal transfer of three major virulence genes. Our results also highlight dogs’ lifestyle as a risk factor for STEC colonisation. These E. coli strains, according to our results, are more likely to be found in dogs living outdoors than those kept in house. Due to significant prevalence of STEC in dogs determined in this research and due to close contact between dogs and humans, dogs could be considered a source of human infections.
References
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Staats JJ, Chengappa MM, DeBey MC, Fickbohm B, and Oberst RD. 2003. Detection of Escherichia coli Shiga toxin (stx) and enterotoxin (estA and elt) genes in fecal samples from non-diarrheic and diarrheic greyhounds. Vet Microbiol 94, 303-312.
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Turk J, Maddox C, Fales W, Ostlund E, Miller M, Johnson G, Pace L, Turnquist S, and Kreeger J. 1998. Examination for heat-labile, heat-stable, and Shiga-like toxins and for the eaeA gene in Escherichia coli isolates obtained from dogs dying with diarrhea: 122 cases (1992-1996). J Am Vet Med Assoc 212, 1735-1736.
Younis K, Baddour M, and Ibrahim MS. 2015. Detection of Diarrheagenic Escherichia Coli in Pet Animals and Its Antibiotic Resistance in Alexandria Governorate. Alexandria J Vet Sci 45, 113-118.
Zotta CM, Lavayén S, Hollmann P, and Lanfranconi V. 2015. Pets as Reservoir Escherichia coli Shiga Toxin-Producer in Mar del Plata. J Selva Andina Res Soc 6, 2-9.
Bentancor A, Rumi MV, Gentilini MV, Sardoy C, Irino K, Agostini A, and Cataldi A. 2007. Shiga toxin-producing and attaching and effacing Escherichia coli in cats and dogs in a high hemolytic uremic syndrome incidence region in Argentina. FEMS Microbiol Lett 267, 251-256.
Bentancor A, Rumi MV, Carbonari C, Gerhardt E, Larzabal M, Vilte DA, Pistone-Creydt V, Chinen I, Ibarra C, Cataldi A et al. . 2012. Profile of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from dogs and cats and genetic relationships with isolates from cattle, meat and humans. Vet Microbiol 156, 336-342.
Beutin L. 1999. Escherichia coli as a pathogen in dogs and cats. Vet Res 30, 285-298.
Castro VS, Carvalho RCT, Conte-Junior CA, and Figuiredo EES. 2017. Shiga-toxin Producing Escherichia coli: Pathogenicity, Supershedding, Diagnostic Methods, Occurrence, and Foodborne Outbreaks. Compr Rev Food Sci F 16, 1269-1280.
Coura FM, Diniz AN, Oliveira Junior CA, Lage AP, Lobato FCF, Heinemann MB, and Silva ROS. 2018. Detection of virulence genes and the phylogenetic groups of Escherichia coli isolated from dogs in Brazil. Ciênc Rural 48.
Cowan ST. 1954. A review of names for coliform organisms. Int Bull Bacteriol Nomencl Taxon 4, 119-124.
Croxen MA, Law RJ, Scholz R, Keeney KM, Wlodarska M, and Finlay BB. 2013. Recent advances in understanding enteric pathogenic Escherichia coli. Clin Microbiol Rev 26, 822-880.
Daly RF, and Hill NT. 2016. Characterizing the Role of Animal Exposures in Cryptosporidiosis and Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli Infections: South Dakota, 2012. Zoonoses Public Health 63, 467-476.
Fadel HM, Afifi R, and Al-Qabili DM. 2017. Characterization and zoonotic impact of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli in some wild bird species. Vet World 10, 1118-1128.
Galarce N, Escobar B, Sanchez F, Paredes-Osses E, Alegria-Moran R, and Borie C. 2019. Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals. Animals 9.
Geue L, Menge C, Eichhorn I, Semmler T, Wieler LH, Pickard D, Berens C, and Barth SA. 2017. Evidence for Contemporary Switching of the O-Antigen Gene Cluster between Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains Colonizing Cattle. Front Microbiol 8.
Gomes TA, Elias WP, Scaletsky IC, Guth BE, Rodrigues JF, Piazza RM, Ferreira LC, and Martinez MB. 2016. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli. Braz J Microbiol 47 Suppl 1, 3-30.
Hammermueller J, Kruth S, Prescott J, and Gyles C. 1995. Detection of toxin genes in Escherichia coli isolated from normal dogs and dogs with diarrhea. Can J Vet Res 59, 265-270.
Hasan SM, Yousif AA, and Alwan MJ. 2016. Detection of virulent genes in E. coli O157:H7 isolated from puppies and adult dogs by polymerase chain reaction. Res J Vet Pract 4, 1-6.
Jay-Russell MT, Hake AF, Bengson Y, Thiptara A, and Nguyen T. 2014. Prevalence and characterization of Escherichia coli and Salmonella strains isolated from stray dog and coyote feces in a major leafy greens production region at the United States-Mexico border. PloS One 9, e113433.
Kaper JB, Nataro JP, and Mobley HL. 2004. Pathogenic Escherichia coli. Nat Rev Microbiol 2, 123-140.
Kataoka Y, Irie Y, Sawada T, and Nakazawa M. 2010. A 3-year epidemiological surveillance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in dogs and cats in Japan. J Vet Med Sci 72, 791-794.
Kusunoki H, Sasai K, Baba E, Takata F, Takatori K, and Uemura T. 2004. Oral administration of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 to dogs. Journal of the Japan Veterinary Medical Association 57, 326-329. J Jap Vet Med Assoc 57, 326-359.
Marks SL, Rankin SC, Byrne BA, and Weese JS. 2011. Enteropathogenic bacteria in dogs and cats: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, and control. J Vet Intern Med 25, 1195-1208.
Nakazato G, Gyles C, Ziebell K, Keller R, Trabulsi LR, Gomes TA, Irino K, Da Silveira WD, and Pestana De Castro AF. 2004. Attaching and effacing Escherichia coli isolated from dogs in Brazil: characteristics and serotypic relationship to human enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Vet Microbiol 101, 269-277.
Ojo. OE, Bello AO, Amosun EA, and Jadi RA. 2014. Multidrug resistant verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the faeces of diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic dogs in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Vet Arhiv 84, 63-73.
Salehi TZ, Badouei MA, and Gohari IM. 2011. Molecular detection and antibacterial susceptibility of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated from healthy and diarrhoeic dogs. Comp Clin Pathol 20, 585-589.
Seepersadsingh N, and Adesiyun AA. 2009. Occurrence of phenotypic virulence markers, enteropathogenic serotypes and verocytotoxin production amongst strains of Escherichia coli isolated from non-diarrhoeic dogs in Trinidad. Vet Arhiv 79, 245-257.
Staats JJ, Chengappa MM, DeBey MC, Fickbohm B, and Oberst RD. 2003. Detection of Escherichia coli Shiga toxin (stx) and enterotoxin (estA and elt) genes in fecal samples from non-diarrheic and diarrheic greyhounds. Vet Microbiol 94, 303-312.
Taniuchi M, Walters CC, Gratz J, Maro A, Kumburu H, Serichantalergs O, Sethabutr O, Bodhidatta L, Kibiki G, Toney DM et al. . 2012. Development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. and its evaluation on colonies, culture broths, and stool. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 73, 121-128.
Turk J, Maddox C, Fales W, Ostlund E, Miller M, Johnson G, Pace L, Turnquist S, and Kreeger J. 1998. Examination for heat-labile, heat-stable, and Shiga-like toxins and for the eaeA gene in Escherichia coli isolates obtained from dogs dying with diarrhea: 122 cases (1992-1996). J Am Vet Med Assoc 212, 1735-1736.
Younis K, Baddour M, and Ibrahim MS. 2015. Detection of Diarrheagenic Escherichia Coli in Pet Animals and Its Antibiotic Resistance in Alexandria Governorate. Alexandria J Vet Sci 45, 113-118.
Zotta CM, Lavayén S, Hollmann P, and Lanfranconi V. 2015. Pets as Reservoir Escherichia coli Shiga Toxin-Producer in Mar del Plata. J Selva Andina Res Soc 6, 2-9.
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Published
2024-05-02
How to Cite
Vračar, V., Potkonjak, A., Spasojević Kosić, L., Lalošević, V., & Kozoderović, G. (2024). First molecular detection of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in dogs from serbia: a potential threat to human health?. Veterinaria Italiana, 59(3). https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.2569.18469.2
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