Examination of Escherichia coli from poultry for selected adhesin genes important in disease caused by mammalian pathogenic E. coli

A collection of 1601 extraintestinal and intestinal Escherichia coli isolated from chickens, turkeys and ducks, in Belgium, France and Spain, was hybridised with gene probes specific for fimbrial and afimbrial adhesins (F17, F18, SSfa/F1C, Bfp, Afa, Cs31A, IntiminEae, Aida-1) of intestinal, urinary and invasive E. coli of mammals and with a probe specific for the P (Pap/Prs) fimbrial adhesin of urinary and invasive E. coli of mammals and birds. Three hundred and eighty-three strains (23.9%) were P-positive, 76 strains (4.8%) were Afa-positive, 75 strains (4.7%) were F17-positive, 67 strains (4.2%) were S-positive, 23 (1.4%) were Intimin-positive, and all were F18-, Cs31A-, Aida1- and Bfp-ne…