Phenotypic characterization of E. coli isolates obtained from fecal samples of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus)

Abstract

Egyptian vultures spending the winter in north-western India often stay for extended periods, and some of them gather at an unconventional and synanthropic location in Jorbeer, Rajasthan; a communal dumping ground for livestock carcasses. Local workers in Bikaner city are responsible for collecting, disposing, and skinning livestock carcasses from various clinical settings and dairies. These carcasses create opportunities for interactions among diverse predator host species, potentially facilitating the transmission of pathogens. All bacteria found in vultures, whether internally or externally, have the potential to cause diseases in both wildlife and humans, including E. coli. Among the six well-defined pathotypes of intestinal pathogens, Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) was the first described, causing bloody and watery diarrhea by developing attaching and effacing lesions on the intestinal epithelium. Escherichia coli containing both the LEE and Shiga toxins are referred to as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). This study aims to phenotypically characterize E. coli isolates obtained from fecal samples of Egyptian vultures.