Differentiation of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from poultry

Twenty-one isolates of Escherichia coli recovered from chickens and turkeys were evaluated for pathogenicity in 1-week-old chicks. Fifteen produced coli-septicemia (pathogenic) and six were innocuous (nonpathogenic). Both pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli were tested for their ability to selectively absorb Congo red (CR) dye incorporated into agar medium. Eight of 15 pathogenic E. coli (somatic antigen types O1, O78, O11, O88, and OX9) absorbed the dye and produced red colonies (CR+) between 48 to 72 hours of incubation. All serotypes of E. coli with homologous somatic antigen O78 were CR+, while those of O2 antigen were CR- (white colonies). Five of six nonpathogenic E. coli also were CR+. In contrast to pathogenic E. coli, however, nonpathogenic isolates absorbed CR early, between 18 to 24 hours of incubation. Although CR dye binding did not correlate well with pathogenicity, it may be an identifiable property of some serotypes of E. coli.