Interactions of Typical and Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains with the Calf Intestinal Mucosa Ex Vivo

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) can be found in healthy and diarrheic cattle; however, little is known about the role of attaching and effacing (A/E) lesion formation in colonization of bovine intestinal mucosa by such strains. We show that typical and atypical EPEC induce A/E lesions on calf intestinal explants independently of Tir tyrosine phosphorylation and TccP. Our data support the existence of conserved Tir- and TccP-independent mechanisms of A/E lesion formation in a range of hosts and reinforce the zoonotic potential of EPEC in cattle.