Cloned genes of the aerobactin system of virulent avian Escherichia coli do not confer virulence to recombinant strains

RESUMO

1. We cloned the aerobactin region and its receptor from pMV14, a large nonconjugative plasmid isolated from the virulent strain UEL14, to assess the importance of the aerobactin iron uptake system as a virulence determinant in septicemic avian Escherichia coli. 2. The physical map of the region of the recombinant plasmid (pGMV1) containing the genes for synthesis of aerobactin and its receptor was very similar to the corresponding region in pABN1 containing the genetic determinants for the aerobactin system of pColV-K30. 3. The 74-kDa outer-membrane protein encoded by pGMV1 cross-reacted immunologically with the 74-kDa aerobactin receptor protein encoded by pABN1. 4. Various avirulent E. coli strains carrying the recombinant plasmid, which contains only the aerobactin system, were assayed for virulence and were found to be avirulent for chickens. Only the wild-type aerobactin-producing strain was virulent in a pathogenicity test for chickens. 5. These results show that the aerobactin system by itself does not confer virulence, and that other factors are necessary for virulence of avian strains of E. coli