The occurrence of fim, pap and sfa operons in Escherichia coli isolated from breeders with salpingitis and chicks with omphalitis was evaluated. Analysis of 100 E. coli isolates, by colony hybridization tests, showed that 78 (78%) were fim+, one (1%) was sfa+, seven (7%) were fim+ associated with pap+, eigth (8%) were fim+ and sfa+, one (1%) was fim+pap+sfa+ and five (5%) isolates did not hybridize with any probe. These results suggest that fim adhesion-encoding operon plays an important role in pathogenesis of E. coli infection in chickens with salpingitis and omphalitis.
Escherichia coli; adhesion-encoding operon; salpingitis; omphalitis; poultry
