[Poultry as a reservoir of zoonotic strains of Escherichia coli].

Abstract

Poultry and poultry products are considered a potentially significant source of resistant E. coli strains and their determinants encoded by mobile genetic elements, such as genes for ESBL/AmpC beta-lactamases. Poultry also hosts extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli strains (ExPEC). The similarity of poultry avian pathogenic E. coli to human strains has led to the inclusion of ExPEC among bacteria with zoonotic potential. However, population diversity of E. coli pathotypes, host specificity and circulation of diverse strains and genetic determinants between populations are rather complex and the aforementioned risks cannot be addressed separately.