Avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) is a typically harmless form of bacteria commonly found in poultry intestines; however its genes could easily mutate to cause a life-threatening infection for both humans and birds, warned a new study published in Nature Communications.
“Industrial scale poultry production (large bird numbers and high stocking density) provides ideal conditions for the spread of pathogens. APEC is among the most common bacterial pathogens of poultry. Therefore, it is important that farmers, vets and scientists understand how these pathogens emerge and spread,” Sam Sheppard, study leader and professor at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, said.
E. coli is found in the intestines of most animals, including poultry and humans. The bacteria is harmless in the gut, but it can result in a deadly infection if it crosses the bloodstream.
The avian specific form of E. coli, APEC, can lead to a infection called colibacillosis that can cause septicemia, organ failure and death. The disease costs the U.S. poultry industry millions of dollars each year in losses.
Whole genome sequencing
The international research team used whole genome sequencing technology to analyze the genomes of E. coli samples from both healthy and infected chickens bred at commercial farms to try to figure out what makes the good bacteria turn bad.
They expected to find one gene responsible for turning the harmless bacteria into a life-threatening infection, but instead the research revealed that several gene combinations were to blame.
The study showed that E. coli could easily acquire harmful gene mutations through a process called horizontal gene transfer. Through horizontal gene transfer, bacteria pick up new genetic material from other bacteria in their environment, either by scavenging DNA molecules from dead bacteria, exchanging stands of DNA or infection by viruses able to transfer DNA from one organism to another.
As a result, close monitoring of strains most likely to become pathogenic is needed, the authors stressed. These strains could be identified using a similar method to the approach currently used to identify variant strains of COVID-19.
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