Exotic psittacine
birds have been implicated as
reservoir of diarrheagenic
Escherichia coli (E. coli), including
enteropathogenic E. coli (
EPEC) and Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (
STEC). Here, we present a genotypic and phenotypic characterization of typical
EPEC/
STEC hybrid strains isolated from exotic psittacine
birds. The
strains were positive for eae, bfpA, and stx2f
genes, belong to
serotype O137H6 and ST2678. Two
strains were subject to
whole genome sequencing, confirming the presence of the
virulence factors of both E. coli pathotypes. Phenotypical
in vitro tests confirmed their
ability to adhere to
HeLa cells and cause cytotoxicity to
Vero cells. The
rabbit ileal loop assays showed the attaching and effacing lesion, in addition to inflammatory process and overproduction of intestinal
mucus. This is the first
report of
hybrid typical
EPEC/
STEC (O137H6/ST2678)
strains isolated from
companion psittacine
birds and the results suggest zoonotic
risks.