PCR detection and serotyping of enterotoxigenic and shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli isolates obtained from chicken meat in Mumbai, India

Aim: Present study was undertaken to find out the frequency of few virulent genes and prevalence of related strains of Escherichia coli isolated from chicken meat obtained from chicken retail shops by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Materials and Methods: 66 samples of freshly slaughtered chicken meat were collected from 22 identified retail shops located at Mumbai city, randomly. Processed meat samples were cultured in EMB agar and presumptive colonies were confirmed by various biochemical tests. PCR method was accustomed for identification of the genes coding for heat-stable enterotoxin a (STa), heat labile enterotoxin (LT), shiga-like toxins 1 and 2 (SLT1 and SLT2). E. coli isolates were sent to National Salmonella and Escherichia Centre, CRI, Kasauli, HP, India for serotyping. Results: 11 (16.67%) E. coli strains were isolated from 66 chicken meat samples. 3 (27.27%) out of 11 harbored the gene for SLT2, and 2 (18.18%) for STa. None of the strain contains SLT1 and LT genes. Serotypes detected were rough, O2, O20, O22, O102 each for one isolate and 6 isolates were untypable (UT). Conclusion: The results concluded that chicken meat samples analysed harbored genes for shiga like toxins and enterotoxins and different serotypes of E. coli. These findings indicating that regular monitoring of chicken meat is essential for this pathogen to prevent potential public health problems.