Phylogenetic analysis and microbiological findings of Kosakonia cowanii in Sporophila angolensis associated with fatal hepatitis

Abstract

The Gram-negative Kosakonia cowanii, previously classified as Enterobacter cowanii (Enterobacteriaceae) is an environmental organism and recently identified in birds and humans. We report the identification of K.cowanii, a small, motile and Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium in the liver of a hatchling Sporophila angolensis (Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch) which died of hepatic disease diagnosed by histopathology and bacterial culture. The agent was identified by culture and confirmed by MALDI-TOF and PCR. The amplified samples were sent to sequencing and an antibiogram was performed to assess the sensitivity to antimicrobials. The relevance of K. cowanii as an opportunistic pathogen in birds is considered within the discussion of an environmental organism potentially emerging as an animal pathogen, possibly associated with human activity and climatic change. The description of disease by K. cowanii in a native passerine may worth further epidemiological studies regarding the potential risk to avian, as well as other animals, public health and conservation.