CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATHOGENIC POTENTIAL OF E. COLI ISOLATED FROM CATS WITH URINARY SYSTEM DISEASES

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the phenotypic and genetic potential of E. coli strains isolated from cats with diseases of the urinary system. The test material was 12 strains of E. coli isolated from the urine of cats with diseases of the urinary system by conventional methods and identified by mass spectrometry. The pathogenic and persistent properties of bacteria were determined by the photometric method. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was determined by the disk diffusion method. Genes that determine the synthesis of adhesins, colonization and persistence factors, and antibiotic resistance were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using selected primers. E. coli were characterized by a pronounced pathogenic potential. The features of culture bioprofiles were determined by the expression of the studied biological properties: the hemolytic activity in bacteria isolated in associations was significantly higher than in strains isolated in a monoculture and, on the contrary, in monocultures, the values of the ability of E. coli to biofilm formation and adhesion were significantly higher. E. coli showed sensitivity, moderate resistance and resistance to drugs from the group of fluoroquinolones. PCR revealed the presence of genetic determinants of virulence (papA, fimH, fyuA, kspMTII, hlyA) and resistance (gyrA, parC, gnrB, gnrS) in all isolates, as well as the usp and grnA genes in the vast majority. The obtained data on the pathogenic bioprofile of E. coli isolated in the pathology of the urinary system in cats can be used as a criterion for the search and identification of the pathogen. The established resistance to fluoroquinolones in E. coli isolates indicates the need to control their use. Regional monitoring of bacterial resistance to antibacterial drugs is essential for successful therapy.