Isolation and Enumeration of Escherichia coli in Wild Bird Feces

The data on the distribution of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in wild birds of different ecological niche in Sarawak is limited. Due to migratory behavior of wild birds which may become long-distance vectors for zoonotic pathogens, this study was conducted to enumerate the concentration of E. coli and detect the presence of Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in wild birds' feces from Satang Besar Island, Kuching. A total of 16 swabs samples and 16 faecal samples were collected randomly and screened for the presence of E. coli through selective plating on EMB agar. The concentration of E. coli in the samples were enumerated by using standard plate count method (SPC). From the samples collected, 56% of swab samples and 75% of faecal samples were found positive for E. coli on EMB agar. E. coli isolated were then subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with single primer pairs targeting for Shiga toxin-producing genes (slt-1). This indicated that E. coli were found in most of the samples but no STEC was detected. Absence of STEC in the wild bird showed that they do not serve as an important reservoir of STEC. However, precautions have to be taken as other group of pathogenic E. coli may pose a zoonotic risk for humans and other animal