COLI-AEROGENES BACTERIA OF PASTEURIZED MILKS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PATHOGENIC SEROTYPES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI

SUMMARY: A total of 375 samples of retail pasteurized milk in bottles was examined from January to the end of August 1955, for coli-aerogenes bacteria and especially for pathogenic serotypes of Escherichia coli. These serotypes were not found, though 101 of the samples contained bacteria of the coli-aerogenes group. During the summer months, June-August, the percentage of contaminated samples was about 40% and 10% of the samples contained E. coli I or II. The epidemiological significance of these findings is discussed.     

COLI-AEROGENES BACTERIA IN FARM WATER SUPPLIES

SUMMARY: A series of 825 cultures of coli-aerogenes bacteria isolated at 30° and a series of 735 cultures isolated at 37° from 645 samples of farm water supplies were classified according to the recommendations of the Coliform Sub-Committee of the Society for Applied Bacteriology (Report, 1949). Klebsiella constituted 50% of the cultures isolated at 30°, whereas Escherichia coli I was the dominant type, forming 57%, among the cultures isolated at 37°. It would thus appear that isolation at 30° is as selective for Klebsiella as isolation at 37° is for Escherichia . Coli-aerogenes organisms, mainly 37° negative strains of Citrobacter freundii I and K. cloacae , were found in waters of high sanitary quality derived from protected springs and wells; but the coli-aerogenes microflora of polluted water was dominated by E. coli I, which formed 43% of the isolates at 30° and 76% of those at 37°. The results for a series of fortnightly samples from 11 farm water supplies showed a marked seasonal variation in the incidence of different types isolated at 30°; E. coli I formed a higher proportion in summer than in winter, while 37° negative strains of Klebsiella and Citrobacter formed a higher proportion in winter than in summer.     

COLI-AEROGENES BACTERIA FROM FARM DAIRY EQUIPMENT AND RAW MILK

SUMMARY: A series of 1,040 cultures of coli-aerogenes bacteria isolated at 30° from farm dairy equipment and raw milk was classified according to the recommendations of the Coliform Sub-Committee of the Society for Applied Bacteriology (Report, 1949). The distribution of species and types isolated from milk did not differ materially from that for dairy equipment, Klebsiella cloacae, K. aerogenes and Citrobacter freundii being the dominant species, while the incidence of Escherichia coli was relatively low. There was no marked seasonal incidence of any type, though E. coli I formed a slightly higher proportion of the coli-aerogenes microflora in winter, whereas K. aerogenes I was slightly higher in summer. Many of the cultures of the dominant types, K. cloacae, K. aerogenes I and Cit. freundii I, did not form acid and gas from lactose in two days at 37°. Consequently 37° negative, anaerogenic and paracolon strains constituted a relatively high proporton (49%) of the coli-aerogenes microflora.     

Differences in attachment of Salmonella enterica serovars and Escherichia coli O157:H7 to alfalfa sprouts

Numerous Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks have been associated with contaminated sprouts. We examined how S. enterica serovars, E. coli serotypes, and nonpathogenic bacteria isolated from alfalfa sprouts grow on and adhere to alfalfa sprouts. Growth on and adherence to sprouts were not significantly different among different serovars of S. enterica, but all S. enterica serovars grew on and adhered to alfalfa sprouts significantly better than E. coli O157:H7. E. coli O157:H7 was essentially rinsed from alfalfa sprouts with repeated washing steps, while 1 to 2 log CFU of S. enterica remained attached per sprout. S. enterica Newport adhered to 3-day-old sprouts as well as Pantoea agglomerans and 10-fold more than Pseudomonas putida and Rahnella aquatilis, whereas the growth rates of all four strains throughout seed sprouting were similar. S. enterica Newport and plant-associated bacteria adhered 10- to 1,000-fold more than E. coli O157:H7; however, three of four other E. coli serotypes, isolated from cabbage roots exposed to sewage water following a spill, adhered to sprouts better than E. coli O157:H7 and as well as the Pseudomonas and Rahnella strains. Therefore, attachment to alfalfa sprouts among E. coli serotypes is variable, and nonpathogenic strains of E. coli to be used as surrogates for the study of pathogenic E. coli may be difficult to identify and should be selected carefully, with knowledge of the biology being examined.     

THE VALUE OF THE ASSOCIATION ESCHERICHIEAE-GROUP D STREPTOCOCCI IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CONTAMINATION IN FOODS

SUMMARY: The tests for faecal contamination in foods, based on 'indicator species', should be reconsidered for the following reasons. First, in Europe, Escherichia coli is regarded as a specific index of such contamination; but, apparently through the use of antibiotics, the proportion of human faeces containing Klebsiella has risen from 5.2% in 1947 to 48.4% in 1956–7. Moreover, E. coli and other coli-aerogenes organisms may be absent from the gut of certain animals, notably the pig. Second, while the usual methods of counting coli-aerogenes bacteria do not permit the isolation of strains which ferment lactose slowly or not at all (i.e. paracolons), these occur in 35.6% of samples of human faeces. Further, the recommended methods of detecting such strains are not wholly satisfactory. Third, the origin of the coli-aerogenes bacteria is uncertain.
It is thus necessary to consider other organisms which normally inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and other animals. As to Clostridium perfringens , its source is doubtful, for it may come from faeces or from soil, and many foods contain only soil strains. The group D streptococci, on the other hand, are excellent indicators of faecal contamination. They are constant or frequent in the intestines of man and animals, and often more numerous there than coli-aerogenes bacteria. Their specificity as an index of faecal contamination is high and their investigation is easy with the selective media now available. Associated with the coli-aerogenes bacteria, they justify the diagnosis of faecal contamination in a foodstuff.     

合肥地区动物源性大肠埃希菌的血清型分布与耐药性分析

目的了解安徽省合肥地区动物源性大肠埃希菌的血清型分布和耐药状况,以期筛选出菌苗株和指导临床合理用药。方法对46份疑似大肠埃希菌病病料进行细菌分离培养、生化编码鉴定和致病性测定。采用玻片凝集试验对分离到的46株致病性大肠埃希菌进行血清型鉴定。同时分别采用K-B纸片琼脂扩散法和双纸片增效法检测致病性大肠埃希菌的耐药性和ESBLs阳性菌株。结果46株致病性大肠埃希菌中,除7株细菌未能定型外,其余39株细菌分布于10个血清型,O127：K63血清型为优势血清型,占定型菌株的33．33％。46株致病性大肠埃希菌对21种抗菌药物均呈现不同程度的耐药性,15个ESBLs阳性菌株表现为多重耐药,对各种抗菌药物的耐药率均高于ESBLs阴性菌株。结论O127：K63血清型为优势血清型,可作为菌苗株。合肥地区动物源性大肠埃希菌耐药性较为严重,尤其是产ESBLs大肠埃希菌多重耐药更为突出。     

The use of biochemical markers, serotype and fimbriation in the detection of Escherichia coli clones

Biochemical reactions, O and K serotypes and presence of P-fimbriae were analysed in 116 Escherichia coli strains isolated in blood cultures from patients with bacteraemia and in 99 faecal strains isolated from healthy individuals. By using biochemical typing, the strains could be grouped into six main clusters with similarity index less than 0.8 (Gower, 1971) and altogether 16 subclusters with similarity index 0.82-0.89. The most discriminating tests between the clusters were fermentation of D-tagatose, saccharose, salicin and sorbose. No single biochemical property could differentiate bacteraemic isolates from faecal strains, although strains isolated from blood were significantly more often found in certain subclusters, whereas other subclusters contained mainly control strains. Bacteraemic strains possessed P-fimbriae more often, especially strains isolated from patients with E. coli in the urine concomitantly with bacteraemia. Equally, no single reaction could separate P-fimbriated from non-P-fimbriated strains. D-Tagatose was fermented more often by the P-fimbriated strains; on the other hand, melibiose and lactose fermentation tests were less often positive. Certain O serotypes (O1, O4, O6, O7, O18 and O25) were more common among bacteraemic isolates than controls. K serotypes such as K1, K5 and K52 were also more frequent among blood isolates. We conclude that a combination of biochemical tests, fimbriation and serotyping might be used to identify potentially pathogenic clusters of E. coli.     

Epidemiological relatedness and clonal types of natural populations of Escherichia coli strains producing Shiga toxins in separate populations of cattle and sheep.

Two separate animal populations consisting of a herd of cattle (19 animals) and a flock of sheep (25 animals) were investigated for strains of Escherichia coli producing Shiga toxins (STEC) over a time period of 6 months. Thirty-three STEC were isolated from 63.2% of cattle and grouped into 11 serotypes and eight electrophoretic types (ETs) by multilocus enzyme analysis. In sheep, 88% of the animals excreted STEC (n = 67 isolates) belonging to 17 different serotypes and 12 different ETs. STEC from cattle and sheep differed with respect to serotype, and only 4 of the 16 ETs occurred in both animal populations. In cattle, ET14 (O116:H21) strains predominated, whereas other STEC serotypes occurred only sporadically. The predominating STEC types in sheep were ET4 (O125 strains), ET11 (O128:H2 and others), and ET14 (O146:H21). In contrast to their diversity, STEC originating from the same animal population were similar with respect to Shiga toxin (stxy genes. Almost all STEC isolated from cattle were positive for stx2 and stx2c; only one was positive for stx1. In sheep, almost all STEC isolated were positive for stx1 and stx2, whereas stx2c was not found. XbaI-digested DNAs of genetically closely related O146:H21 strains have different restriction profiles which were associated with size alterations in XbaI fragments hybridizing with stx1- and stx2-specific DNA probes. Our results indicate that stx-encoding bacteriophages might be the origin of the genetic heterogeneity in STEC from animals.     

Coli-aerogenes Bacteria on Plants

S ummary . Specimens of plant foliage and flowers collected in the region of Attica from various situations and geographical regions were examined over a period of 13 months for the presence of coli-aerogenes bacteria able to grow at 37°. Twenty-five (12.2%) of 204 specimens carried coli-aerogenes bacteria of which Escherichia coli type I was isolated from 12 (5.8%). Coli-aerogenes bacteria were seldom isolated from plants grown in uninhabited areas, and they occured more frequently during summer and autumn.
Vegetables and fruits sold in the central market of Athens are frequently contaminated with coli-aerogenes bacteria. Of 76 specimens of vegetables examined 66 (86.8%) were positive for coli-aerogenes bacteria, and 17 (22.3%) for E. coli type I. The figures from 41 specimens of fruits were 26 (65.8%) and 4 (9.7%), respectively.     

Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in Spain: prevalence,serotypes, and virulence genes of O157:H7 and non-O157 VTEC in ruminants,raw beef products,and humans

In Spain, as in many other countries, verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains have been frequently isolated from cattle, sheep, and foods. VTEC strains have caused seven outbreaks in Spain (six caused by E. coli O157:H7 and one by E. coli O111:H- [nonmotile]) in recent years. An analysis of the serotypes indicated serological diversity. Among the strains isolated from humans, serotypes O26:H11, O111:H-, and O157:H7 were found to be more prevalent. The most frequently detected serotypes in cattle were O20:H19, O22:H8, O26:H11, O77:H41, O105:H18, O113:H21, O157:H7, O171:H2, and OUT (O untypeable):H19. Different VTEC serotypes (e.g., O5:H-, O6:H10, O91:H-, O117:H-, O128:H-, O128:H2, O146:H8, O146:H21, O156:H-, and OUT:H21) were found more frequently in sheep. These observations suggest a host serotype specificity for some VTEC. Numerous bovine and ovine VTEC serotypes detected in Spain were associated with human illnesses, confirming that ruminants are important reservoirs of pathogenic VTEC. VTEC can produce one or two toxins (VT1 and VT2) that cause human illnesses. These toxins are different proteins encoded by different genes. Another virulence factor expressed by VTEC is the protein intimin that is responsible for intimate attachment of VTEC and effacing lesions in the intestinal mucosa. This virulence factor is encoded by the chromosomal gene eae. The eae gene was found at a much less frequency in bovine (17%) and ovine (5%) than in human (45%) non-O157 VTEC strains. This may support the evidence that the eae gene contributes significantly to the virulence of human VTEC strains and that many animal non-O157 VTEC strains are less pathogenic to humans.     

Comparison of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli and enterococci isolates from the feces of livestock and livestock farmers in Japan

Seven hundred thirty-nine animal strains and 662 livestock-farmer strains, consisting of Escherichia coli and enterococci, were examined for their pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and antimicrobial-resistance patterns. Two hundred fifty-eight and 203 PFGE patterns were found among 739 animal strains isolated from animals comprising broilers, pigs and cattle, and 662 human strains isolated from livestock farmers, respectively, from 27 farms in Japan. These results demonstrated that the PFGE patterns found among E. coli and enterococci strains from animals and livestock-farmers were heterogeneous and considerably diverse. The strains having both the identical PFGE pattern and the same drug-resistance pattern were defined as a single clone in this study. Seven types of E. coli and enterococci clones were shared among animals within the same farms and between the different farms housing the same animal species. The 25 strains (3.4%) of 739 E. coli and enterococci animal strains belonged to these seven types of clones. Only three types of E. coli clones were shared among animals between the different farms housing different animal species, but no identical E. faecalis or E. faecium clones were found between different animal species farms. The 15 strains (2.0%) of 739 E. coli and enterococci animal strains belonged to these three types of clones. Additionally, the 11 strains (1.5%) of 739 E. coli and enterococci strains isolated from animals were identical clones to strains isolated from livestock farmers of the same farm. These results suggest that the transmission of animal clones to livestock farmers or vice versa is less common.     

THE OCCURRENCE OF COLI-AEROGENES ORGANISMS ON PLANTS

SUMMARY: Coli-aerogenes bacteria were seldom found on the foliage of a wide variety of garden plants, trees and shrubs, and field plants, including pasture, except where there was a possibility of contamination by insects, animals or dust. They were present in only a few instances on the flowering heads of hay plants (wind pollinated) but on almost all the flowers of garden plants (insect pollinated). Although cereal crops are wind pollinated, coli-aerogenes organisms were found on about one-third of the grains examined. The question of their origin on grain is discussed.
In a series of paired samples of soil and of the foliage of the covering vegetation, coli-aerogenes organisms were present in most of the soil samples, but were absent from the foliage except where animal contamination was possible, as in the case of grazed pasture.
With foliage samples unlikely to have been contaminated by animals, most of the coli-aerogenes organisms isolated were A. cloacae , but with grazed pasture E. coli predominated, indicating contamination by grazing animals.
The coli-aerogenes floras of garden flowers and cereal grains corresponded closely, consisting in each case largely of A. cloacae .     

Relationship between phylogenetic groups, genotypic clusters, and virulence gene profiles of Escherichia coli strains from diverse human and animal sources

Escherichia coli strains in water may originate from various sources, including humans, farm and wild animals, waterfowl, and pets. However, potential human health hazards associated with E. coli strains present in various animal hosts are not well known. In this study, E. coli strains from diverse human and animal sources in Minnesota and western Wisconsin were analyzed for the presence of genes coding for virulence factors by using multiplex PCR and biochemical reactions. Of the 1,531 isolates examined, 31 (2%) were found to be Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strains. The majority of these strains, which were initially isolated from the ruminants sheep, goats, and deer, carried the stx(1c) and/or stx(2d), ehxA, and saa genes and belonged to E. coli phylogenetic group B1, indicating that they most likely do not cause severe human diseases. All the STEC strains, however, lacked eae. In contrast, 26 (1.7%) of the E. coli isolates examined were found to be potential enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains and consisted of several intimin subtypes that were distributed among various human and animal hosts. The EPEC strains belonged to all four phylogenetic groups examined, suggesting that EPEC strains were relatively widespread in terms of host animals and genetic background. Atypical EPEC strains, which carried an EPEC adherence factor plasmid, were identified among E. coli strains from humans and deer. DNA fingerprint analyses, done using the horizontal, fluorophore-enhanced repetitive-element, palindromic PCR technique, indicated that the STEC, potential EPEC, and non-STEC ehxA-positive E. coli strains were genotypically distinct and clustered independently. However, some of the potential EPEC isolates were genotypically indistinguishable from nonpathogenic E. coli strains. Our results revealed that potential human health hazards associated with pathogenic E. coli strains varied among the animal hosts that we examined and that some animal species may harbor a greater number of potential pathogenic strains than other animal species.     

E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. in white-tailed deer and livestock

Escherichia coli O157 and Salmonella spp. are among the leading causes of food-borne illness in the United Sates and bacteria have been isolated from numerous ruminant animal sources. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of E. coli O157 and Salmonella spp. in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and livestock simultaneously grazing the same rangeland. Escherichia coli O157 was found in 1.25% of cattle, 1.22% of sheep, and 5.00% of water all from samples taken in September; however, no E. coli O157 was found in other sampled months or any species. Salmonella spp. were found in the highest quantities in deer and sheep, 7.69% and 7.32%, respectively. Salmonella spp. were also found in sampled water troughs, goats, and cattle (5.00%, 3.70%, and 1.25%, respectively). Further research examining pathogen distribution is needed to determine if white-tailed deer are a natural reservoir for these bacteria.     

Experimental study on the growth of Salmonella and coli-aerogenes bacteria in pure and mixed cultures,in a fermentor,in two different enrichment media: Sodium selenite and tetrathionate broth

Summary Different serotypes of Salmonella and coli-aerogenes bacteria were grown in a fermentor at +43°C. The Culture media used were composed of two different nutrient broths, one supplemented with sodium selenite, the other with potassium tetrathionate. The growth of both bacteria and the following types of mixed bacteria was studied: Escherichia coli-Salmonella brancaster and Klebsiella pneumoniae-Salmonella brancaster. During the first 10 h of incubation, sodium tetrathionate broth inhibited the multiplication of coli-aerogenes bacteria. Similar results were obtained when these bacteria were grown with S. brancaster and incubated for 18 h, regardless of the original concentration of each of the bacteria. In the presence of sodium selenite, after 18 h of incubation growth was inhibited in E. coli, but not in the other coli-aerogenes bacteria.     

Prevalence of avian-pathogenic Escherichia coli strain O1 genomic islands among extraintestinal and commensal E. coli isolates

Escherichia coli strains that cause disease outside the intestine are known as extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) and include pathogens of humans and animals. Previously, the genome of avian-pathogenic E. coli (APEC) O1:K1:H7 strain O1, from ST95, was sequenced and compared to those of several other E. coli strains, identifying 43 genomic islands. Here, the genomic islands of APEC O1 were compared to those of other sequenced E. coli strains, and the distribution of 81 genes belonging to 12 APEC O1 genomic islands among 828 human and avian ExPEC and commensal E. coli isolates was determined. Multiple islands were highly prevalent among isolates belonging to the O1 and O18 serogroups within phylogenetic group B2, which are implicated in human neonatal meningitis. Because of the extensive genomic similarities between APEC O1 and other human ExPEC strains belonging to the ST95 phylogenetic lineage, its ability to cause disease in a rat model of sepsis and meningitis was assessed. Unlike other ST95 lineage strains, APEC O1 was unable to cause bacteremia or meningitis in the neonatal rat model and was significantly less virulent than uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) CFT073 in a mouse sepsis model, despite carrying multiple neonatal meningitis E. coli (NMEC) virulence factors and belonging to the ST95 phylogenetic lineage. These results suggest that host adaptation or genome modifications have occurred either in APEC O1 or in highly virulent ExPEC isolates, resulting in differences in pathogenicity. Overall, the genomic islands examined provide targets for further discrimination of the different ExPEC subpathotypes, serogroups, phylogenetic types, and sequence types.     

Virulence of Escherichia coli Serotypes for Mice

A study was undertaken to determine whether virulence in mice could be used to assess the pathogenicity of a variety of Escherichia coli serotypes. Sixty-one E. coli strains isolated from animals, poultry, or humans were serotyped to determine their O, K, and H antigens, and were administered to mice via the intraperitoneal route with and without a mucin adjuvant. The ld(50) dose was then determined for each serotype. The results indicated that the source of the serotype may be associated with virulence for mice. Serotypes isolated from nonenteric, systemic sources showed a greater virulence for mice inoculated intraperitoneally than did the enteric and the nonenteric, nonsystemic (localized) isolates. It was observed that not all serotypes belonging to a specific serogroup were virulent for mice and that the presence or absence of a K antigen had no effect on the virulence of strains of one serotype.     

Lytic and lysogenic infection of diverse Escherichia coli and Shigella strains with a verocytotoxigenic bacteriophage

A verocytotoxigenic bacteriophage isolated from a strain of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157, into which a kanamycin resistance gene (aph3) had been inserted to inactivate the verocytotoxin gene (vt2), was used to infect Enterobacteriaceae strains. A number of Shigella and E. coli strains were susceptible to lysogenic infection, and a smooth E. coli isolate (O107) was also susceptible to lytic infection. The lysogenized strains included different smooth E. coli serotypes of both human and animal origin, indicating that this bacteriophage has a substantial capacity to disseminate verocytotoxin genes. A novel indirect plaque assay utilizing an E. coli recA441 mutant in which phage-infected cells can enter only the lytic cycle, enabling detection of all infective phage, was developed.     

Prevalence of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli from serotype O157 and other attaching and effacing Escherichia coli on bovine carcasses in Algeria

AIMS: Bovine meat is the principal source of human contamination of attaching and effacing Escherichia coli, including enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157. The aim was to study the prevalence of these strains on bovine carcasses in Algeria. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two-hundred and thirty carcasses were swabbed and analysed by classical microbiological methods for total E. coli counts and for the presence of pathogenic E. coli. The E. coli counts were high, with a 75th percentile of 444.75 CFUs cm(-2). For pathogenic E. coli, more than 7% of the tested carcasses were positive for E. coli O157. Eighteen E. coli O157 strains were isolated and typed by multiplex PCR. The main isolated pathotype (78%) was eae+ stx2+ ehxA+. In addition to E. coli O157, other attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) were also detected from carcasses by colony hybridization after pre-enrichment and plating on sorbitol MacConkey agar using eae, stx1 and stx2 probes. Thirty carcasses (13%) on the 230 analysed harboured at least one colony positive for one of the tested probes. These positive carcasses were different from those positive for E. coli O157. Sixty-six colonies (2.9%) positive by colony hybridization were isolated. The majority (60.6%) of the positive strains harboured an enteropathogenic E. coli-like pathotype (eae+ stx-). Only three enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)-like (eae+ stx1+) colonies were isolated from the same carcass. These strains did not belong to classical EHEC serotypes. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the global hygiene of the slaughterhouse was low, as indicated by the high level of E. coli count. The prevalence of both E. coli O157 and other AEEC was also high, representing a real hazard for consumers. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first study of this type in Algeria, which indicates that the general hygiene of the slaughterhouse must be improved.     

Comparative Genomic Analysis Shows That Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli Isolate IMT5155 (O2:K1:H5; ST Complex 95, ST140) Shares Close Relationship with ST95 APEC O1:K1 and Human ExPEC O18:K1 Strains

Avian pathogenic E. coli and human extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli serotypes O1, O2 and O18 strains isolated from different hosts are generally located in phylogroup B2 and ST complex 95, and they share similar genetic characteristics and pathogenicity, with no or minimal host specificity. They are popular objects for the study of ExPEC genetic characteristics and pathogenesis in recent years. Here, we investigated the evolution and genetic blueprint of APEC pathotype by performing phylogenetic and comparative genome analysis of avian pathogenic E. coli strain IMT5155 (O2:K1:H5; ST complex 95, ST140) with other E. coli pathotypes. Phylogeny analyses indicated that IMT5155 has closest evolutionary relationship with APEC O1, IHE3034, and UTI89. Comparative genomic analysis showed that IMT5155 and APEC O1 shared significant genetic overlap/similarities with human ExPEC dominant O18:K1 strains (IHE3034 and UTI89). Furthermore, the unique PAI I₅₁₅₅ (GI-12) was identified and found to be conserved in APEC O2 serotype isolates. GI-7 and GI-16 encoding two typical T6SSs in IMT5155 might be useful markers for the identification of ExPEC dominant serotypes (O1, O2, and O18) strains. IMT5155 contained a ColV plasmid p1ColV₅₁₅₅, which defined the APEC pathotype. The distribution analysis of 10 sequenced ExPEC pan-genome virulence factors among 47 sequenced E. coli strains provided meaningful information for B2 APEC/ExPEC-specific virulence factors, including several adhesins, invasins, toxins, iron acquisition systems, and so on. The pathogenicity tests of IMT5155 and other APEC O1:K1 and O2:K1 serotypes strains (isolated in China) through four animal models showed that they were highly virulent for avian colisepticemia and able to cause septicemia and meningitis in neonatal rats, suggesting zoonotic potential of these APEC O1:K1 and O2:K1 isolates.