Identification of Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O98 from Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys with Diarrhea in China

Abstract

Fecal samples (<i>n</i> = 76) were collected from 38 snub-nosed monkeys (<i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i>) in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve (China) and examined for the presence of enteropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (EPEC). The 56 samples originated from 30 free-ranging monkeys on the reserve and 20 samples from 8 captive monkeys that were previously rescued and kept at the research center. Eight diarrhea samples were collected from four of the eight captive monkeys (two samples from each monkey), and two EPEC strains (2.6%) (95% confidence interval 0.3-9.2%) were isolated from two fecal samples from two diarrheic monkeys. Both strains belonged to serotype O98 and phylogenetic group D (<i>TspE4C2</i>⁺, <i>ChuA</i>⁺). The virulence gene detection identified these strains as an atypical EPEC (aEPEC) (<i>bfpB ^<b>-</b> , stx1 ^<b>-</b></i> , and <i>stx2</i>^-) with the subtype <i>eae</i>⁺, <i>escV</i>⁺, and <i>intimin</i>β⁺. These strains were highly sensitive to all the antibiotics tested. The lethal dose 50% of the two isolates in Kunming mice was 7.40 × 10⁸ CFU/0.2 mL and 2.40 × 10⁸ CFU/0.2 mL, respectively, indicating low virulence. Based on the report that this serotype had been isolated from some other non-human animals and humans with diarrhea, the first identification of aEPEC O98 strains and their drug resistance profile in <i>R. roxellana</i> is of ecological significance for disease control in this endangered species.