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Transposon mutagenesis and membrane protein studies in an avian colisepticaemic Escherichia coli strain

Wanderley Dias da Silveira; Fabiana Fantinatti; Antonio F.P. de Castro

Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, IB, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, 13081-970 Campinas, SP, Brasil. Send correspondence to W.D.S.

ABSTRACT

The pathogenicity, antibiotic resistance, plasmid DNA and membrane protein profiles of a colisepticaemic Escherichia coli strain (362) isolated from chickens was studied. It was verified that this strain harboured at least five plasmids. One 88.0 MD plasmid is non conjugative and is responsible for the production of colicin V and serum resistance. The 43.0 M) plasmid is responsible for resistance to bactericidal activity of serum and ampicilin. Curing of these plasmids did not decrease the pathogenicity of the strain. Transposon mutagenesis (Tnpho A) of strain 362 yielded a non-pathogenic derivative strain which had lost a 40.7 kD membrane protein, which is not correlated to the aerobactin and enterochelin systems. We suggest that this protein subunit is involved in the pathogenicity process of avian septicaemic E. coli strains.

Keywords: transposon; mutagenesis; membrane protein; avian; colisepticaemic; Escherichia coli.

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