Objective
Among bacterial infections , collbacillosis is the first cause of morbidity and mortality in poultry breeding, where it provokes different types of syndromes, mainly respiratory tract infections and reproductive disorders. Two unsolved problems actually impair a satisfactory control of avian colibacillosis in Europe:
- no reliable methods can be presently used in veterinary diagnostic laboratories, which would be necessary to identify, the causative strains of Escherichia coli.
- no fully effective vaccination is presently available for avian colibacillosis, probably due to the large variety of E.coli strains which are able to provoke colibacillosis infection in poultry. Moreover, although several data and observations argue in favor of close genetic relationships between some pathogenic E.coli isolates of human and avian origin, especially those invoved in extra-intestinal septicaemic diseases, this particular point has never been well-documented in Europe. Finally, the intensive use of antibiotics in animal husbandry leads to the selection of antibiotic resistances, which may be transferred to Gram-negative bacteria pathogenic for man.
Thus, this study includes two main objectives:
- to improve poultrv breeding by a better control of avian colibacillosis, which could be obtained from a better knowledge of the responsible E. Coli strains. Human health, through a detailed study of genetic homologies between avian and human pathogenic E. Coli isolates, and a survey of antibiotic resistance.
For this purpose, the work will be organized into three complementary parts:
-In part 1, the specific characteristics of avian pathogenic E.coli (APEC) will be investigated on a large sample of avian E. Coli strains collected in three European countries (FR, ES, and BE). This characterization will rely on classical bacteriological methods (biotyping, serotyping), detection of virulence genes and of pathogenicity islands (clusters of several different virulent genes, closely linked on a same genetic support) by PCR and genetic probes, and it will be completed using molecular epidemiology methods (pulsotyping and ribotyping).
-In part 2, the obtained data will be analized with respect to the origin of strains, using statistical methods. The results of this analysis ùwill allow to define different pathotypes among APEC, whose characteristics will be used to set out new diagnostic methods and to select strains for vaccination, based on common virulence factors.
-Part 3 will be devoted to the evaluation of APEC as a potential risk for human health.
This study will be supported by a detailed investigation of genetic relationships between avian and human pathogenic E.coli isolates. It will include the study of homologies in genetic background as well as in genetic organization of virulence genes and pathogenicity islands, the detection of E.coli pathotypes potentially pathogenic for man (such as 0157:H7), which can be present in a low proportion among E.coli of avian origin. Part 3 will also include a survey of the frequence of resistance of APEC to therapeutic ;antibiotics, in relation with the different animal productions (poultry, turkeys and ducks), and to the use of antibiotics in the three countries participating to the project. A special emphasis will be placed on the more recent antibiotic molecules which are used both in human medicine and in animal husbandry, including a comparati\e study of the mechanisms of resistance to the quinolones in human and in avian E.coli strains.
This project will involve five partners from three countries (FR ES, and BE), among which four research teams which ha-e reached an expert position in studying E.coli pathogenic for poultry, for other animals, or for man, and an Industrial Firm. It will allow to constitute a reference and well-documented european collection of avian pathogenic E.coli (APEC), to improve diagnosis of avian colibacillosis through adapted diagnostic assays, and to take part in a better control of this disease. This study would also improve the sanitary status of poultry products and-would allow to evaluate the potential risk for human health, which are two priorities of the workprogramme.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- social sciencessociologydemographymortality
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic healthepidemiology
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsantibiotics
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
37380 NOUZILLY
France