Identification and Genomic Characterization of <i>Escherichia albertii</i> in Migratory Birds from Poyang Lake, China
Qian Liu,
Xiangning Bai,
Xi Yang,
Guoyin Fan,
Kui Wu,
Wentao Song,
Hui Sun,
Shengen Chen,
Haiying Chen,
Yanwen Xiong
Affiliations
Qian Liu
State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Xiangning Bai
State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Xi Yang
State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Guoyin Fan
Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, China
Kui Wu
Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, China
Wentao Song
Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, China
Hui Sun
State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Shengen Chen
Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, China
Haiying Chen
Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, China
Yanwen Xiong
State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China
Escherichia albertii is an emerging zoonotic foodborne enteropathogen leading to human gastroenteritis outbreaks. Although E. albertii has been isolated from birds which have been considered as the potential reservoirs of this bacterium, its prevalence in migratory birds has rarely been described. In this study, E. albertii in migratory birds from Poyang Lake was investigated and characterized using whole genome sequencing. Eighty-one fecal samples from nine species of migratory birds were collected and 24/81 (29.6%) tested PCR-positive for E. albertii-specific genes. A total of 47 isolates was recovered from 18 out of 24 PCR-positive samples. All isolates carried eae and cdtB genes. These isolates were classified into eight E. albertii O-genotypes (EAOgs) (including three novel EAOgs) and three E. albertii H-genotypes (EAHgs). Whole genome phylogeny separated migratory bird-derived isolates into different lineages, some isolates in this study were phylogenetically closely grouped with poultry-derived or patient-derived strains. Our findings showed that migratory birds may serve as an important reservoir for heterogeneous E. albertii, thereby acting as potential transmission vehicles of E. albertii to humans.
