Quails are growing sources for animal-derived protein in Egypt. This
study aimed to investigate of the prevalence of avian pathogenic E. coli
(APEC) in quails reared in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Furthermore,
serological identification of APEC strains was performed followed by
screening of the expression of the virulence-associated genes and the
antibiogram of the identified serotypes. The achieved results in the present
study revealed that E. coli isolates were recovered at 28% of the examined
quail samples. E. coli isolates were recovered from the different organs at
variable percentages. Serological identification of the isolated E. coli
demonstrated that five serotypes were identified, namely O2, O20, O35,
O78 and O127. E. coli O 127 was the most predominant serotype
(28.56%). E. coli O2 came second at 24.99%. The identified serotypes
harbored virulence-associated genes including tsh, astA and iroN that
facilitate microbial colonization, adhesion and dissemination into different
tissue. Antimicrobial resistance profiling of the identified serotypes
revealed their resistance to several antimicrobials commonly used in the
poultry production in Egypt including ampicillin, ceftiofur, penicillin,
polymixin B and nalidixic acid. On the same time, the identified E. coli
serotypes showed marked sensitivity to gentamycin, neomycin,
enrofloxacin and erythromycin indicating that these antimicrobials are
promising candidates for the control of E. coli infection in quails.