Browsing by Author "Toapaxi Chiquito Elizabeth Fernanda"

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    Identificación de genes de virulencia (ipaH) en Shigella spp aisladas de carne de pollo que se expende en el cantón Ambato
    (2025-02) Toapaxi Chiquito Elizabeth Fernanda; Cruz Quintana Sandra Margarita
    Shigella spp. infection is usually contracted by consuming contaminated food, with poor hygiene in handling it being a key risk. Likewise, unsanitary conditions in animal slaughter can be an important source of meat contamination. This study focused on the identification of a virulence gene in Shigella spp. isolated from chicken meat marketed in the Ambato canton. Of the 17 Shigella strains used, they were previously isolated and identified using molecular techniques in previous research and were kept in the Microbiology and Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Technical University of Ambato. In particular, the ipaH gene, a key virulence marker of this bacteria, was investigated. For the detection and analysis of this gene, advanced molecular techniques were used, including the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis. First, pure and diluted Shigella spp DNA, previously extracted from chicken meat samples, was used for subsequent amplification. In the PCR phase, a specific primer designed to amplify the target sequence corresponding to the ipaH gene, with a size of 423 base pairs (bp), was used. In conclusion, the literature review revealed a remarkable diversity of virulence factors, and the presence of the ipaH gene is included in all the references consulted. However, the results obtained in the PCR did not show amplification of the gene, which reflected a 0% prevalence of the ipaH gene in Shigella isolates previously obtained from chicken meat. Finally, according to epidemiological data collected in the last five years, the presence of shigellosis has been recorded in Ecuador. In this regard, it is relevant to note that, both in 2023 and in the research carried out in 2024, the existence of this disease in the province of Tungurahua is not reported, nor is the presence of the related gene in the isolated strains used for the study. However, it is observed that these strains continue to circulate in neighboring provinces.