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DeLira-Bustillos N, Angulo-Zamudio UA, Leon-Sicairos N, Flores-Villaseñor H, Velazquez-Roman J, Tapia-Pastrana G, Martínez-Villa FA, Velázquez-Cruz R, Salmerón J, Canizales-Quinteros S, Canizalez-Roman A. Distribution and virulence of Escherichia coli harboring cyclomodulins and supplementary virulence genes isolates from clinical and environmental samples. Microb Pathog 2024; 190:106634. [PMID: 38556104 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cyclomodulins (cdt, cnf, pks and cif) in Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from clinical and environmental samples, the presence of supplementary virulence genes (SVG), antibiotic resistance, and in vitro cytotoxicity. 413 E. coli were isolated from clinical (stool from obese subjects, normal weight subjects, children with diarrhea, and children without diarrhea; and urine from pregnant and non-pregnant women with urinary tract infections) and environmental (water and different foods) samples. PCR was performed to identify E. coli pathotypes, the four cyclomodulins, and 18 SVG; virulence score, cytotoxic assay, and antibiotic resistance assay were performed. Fifteen percent of E. coli were positive for cyclomodulins and were found in all isolation sources; however, in children with diarrhea, they were more frequent. The most frequent cyclomodulin was cdt. More DEC strains harbor cyclomodulins than non-DEC, and cyclomodulins were most frequent among aEPEC pathotype. SVG ehaC was associated with cyclomodulin-positive strains. Cyclomodulin-positive E. coli had a higher virulence score but no significant cytotoxic activity. They were slightly more resistant to antibiotics. In conclusion, cyclomodulins-positive E. coli was widely distributed in humans, food, and the environment, and they were associated with SVG ehaC, suggesting that these genes may play a role in the pathogenesis of the cyclomodulins. However, more research is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora DeLira-Bustillos
- Programa de Doctorado, Posgrado Integral en Biotecnología, FCQB, UAS, 80030, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico
| | | | - Nidia Leon-Sicairos
- School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, 80019, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico; Pediatric Hospital of Sinaloa, 80200, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Hector Flores-Villaseñor
- School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, 80019, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico; The Sinaloa State Public Health Laboratory, Secretariat of Health, 80058, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Jorge Velazquez-Roman
- School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, 80019, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico
| | - Gabriela Tapia-Pastrana
- Laboratorio de Investigación Biomédica, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 71256, Mexico
| | | | - Rafael Velázquez-Cruz
- Laboratorio de Genómica del Metabolismo Óseo, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), Mexico City, 14610, Mexico
| | - Jorge Salmerón
- Centro de Investigación en Políticas, Población y Salud de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | | | - Adrian Canizalez-Roman
- School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, 80019, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico; The Women's Hospital, Secretariat of Health, 80020, Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico.
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2
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Modgil V, Kaur H, Mohan B, Taneja N. Association of Putative Virulence Genes with HEp-2 Cell Adherence and Biofilm Production in Enteroaggregative E. coli Strains Isolated from Acute Diarrheal and Healthy Children, India. Indian J Microbiol 2024; 64:186-197. [PMID: 38468739 PMCID: PMC10924848 DOI: 10.1007/s12088-023-01157-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an emerging enteric pathogen that causes acute and chronic diarrhea in developed and industrialized countries in children. EAEC colonizes the human intestine and this ability to form colonies and biofilm is an important step in pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the relationship between known or putative 22 EAEC virulence genes and biofilm formation in isolates derived from acute diarrhea and healthy children and their aggregative adherence (AA) pattern with Hep-2 cell lines. A total of 138 EAEC isolates were recovered from 1210 stool samples from children (age < 10 years) suffering from acute diarrhea and 33 EAEC strains isolated from 550 healthy children (control group) of different Anganwadi centers in Chandigarh region were included. Polymerase chain reaction using the primer pair pCVD432 identified E. coli isolates as EAEC. A total of 22 virulence-related genes have been identified using M-PCR chain reactions. The crystal violet method was used for the quantitative biofilm assay. Aggregative adherence assay was also studied using HEp-2 cell lines. Of 138 EAEC isolates from the acute diarrheal group, 121 (87.6%) EAEC isolates produced biofilm. In our findings, typical EAEC (62%) isolates were strong biofilm producers (37.5%) in the diarrheal group. Among adhesive variants, agg4A (39.6%) and aggA (21.6%) were the most common and were statistically significant (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03 respectively). We reported that the aggR gene along with the typical AA pattern was present in 71.4% of the EAEC strains in the diarrheal group, whereas it was present in 44% of the control group. Other aggR non-dependent genes like ORF3 and eilA may also lead to biofilm formation. In conclusion, there is significant heterogeneity in putative virulence genes of EAEC isolates from children and biofilm formation is associated with the combination of many genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Modgil
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Harpreet Kaur
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Balvinder Mohan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Neelam Taneja
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
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3
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Correa GB, Freire CA, Dibo M, Huerta-Cantillo J, Navarro-Garcia F, Barbosa AS, Elias WP, Moraes CTP. Plasmid-encoded toxin of Escherichia coli cleaves complement system proteins and inhibits complement-mediated lysis in vitro. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1327241. [PMID: 38371299 PMCID: PMC10869522 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1327241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet) is an autotransporter protein of the serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) family, important in the pathogenicity of Escherichia coli. The pet gene was initially found in the enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) virulence plasmid, pAA2. Although this virulence factor was initially described in EAEC, an intestinal E. coli pathotype, pet may also be present in other pathotypes, including extraintestinal pathogenic strains (ExPEC). The complement system is an important defense mechanism of the immune system that can be activated by invading pathogens. Proteases produced by pathogenic bacteria, such as SPATEs, have proteolytic activity and can cleave components of the complement system, promoting bacterial resistance to human serum. Considering these factors, the proteolytic activity of Pet and its role in evading the complement system were investigated. Proteolytic assays were performed by incubating purified components of the complement system with Pet and Pet S260I (a catalytic site mutant) proteins. Pet, but not Pet S260I, could cleave C3, C5 and C9 components, and also inhibited the natural formation of C9 polymers. Furthermore, a dose-dependent inhibition of ZnCl2-induced C9 polymerization in vitro was observed. E. coli DH5α survived incubation with human serum pre-treated with Pet. Therefore, Pet can potentially interfere with the alternative and the terminal pathways of the complement system. In addition, by cleaving C9, Pet may inhibit membrane attack complex (MAC) formation on the bacterial outer membrane. Thus, our data are suggestive of a role of Pet in resistance of E. coli to human serum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Miriam Dibo
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jazmin Huerta-Cantillo
- Department of Cell Biology, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fernando Navarro-Garcia
- Department of Cell Biology, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Waldir P. Elias
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
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4
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Jesser KJ, Trueba G, Konstantinidis KT, Levy K. Why are so many enteric pathogen infections asymptomatic? Pathogen and gut microbiome characteristics associated with diarrhea symptoms and carriage of diarrheagenic E. coli in northern Ecuador. Gut Microbes 2023; 15:2281010. [PMID: 37992406 PMCID: PMC10730187 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2281010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A high proportion of enteric infections, including those caused by diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC), are asymptomatic for diarrhea. The factors responsible for the development of diarrhea symptoms, or lack thereof, remain unclear. Here, we used DEC isolate genome and whole stool microbiome data from a case-control study of diarrhea in Ecuador to examine factors associated with diarrhea symptoms accompanying DEC carriage. We investigated i) pathogen abundance, ii) gut microbiome characteristics, and iii) strain-level pathogen characteristics from DEC infections with diarrhea symptoms (symptomatic infections) and without diarrhea symptoms (asymptomatic infections). We also included data from individuals with and without diarrhea who were not infected with DEC (uninfected cases and controls). i) E. coli relative abundance in the gut microbiome was highly variable, but higher on-average in individuals with symptomatic compared to asymptomatic DEC infections. Similarly, the number and relative abundances of virulence genes in the gut were higher in symptomatic than asymptomatic DEC infections. ii) Measures of microbiome diversity were similar regardless of diarrhea symptoms or DEC carriage. Proteobacterial families that have been described as pathobionts were enriched in symptomatic infections and uninfected cases, whereas potentially beneficial taxa, including the Bacteroidaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae, were more abundant in individuals without diarrhea. An analysis of high-level gene functions recovered in metagenomes revealed that genes that were differentially abundant by diarrhea and DEC infection status were more abundant in symptomatic than asymptomatic DEC infections. iii) DEC isolates from symptomatic versus asymptomatic individuals showed no significant differences in virulence or accessory gene content, and there was no phylogenetic signal associated with diarrhea symptoms. Together, these data suggest signals that distinguish symptomatic from asymptomatic DEC infections. In particular, the abundance of E. coli, the virulence gene content of the gut microbiome, and the taxa present in the gut microbiome have an apparent role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey J Jesser
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gabriel Trueba
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Karen Levy
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Kuhlmann FM, Grigura V, Vickers TJ, Prouty MG, Iannotti LL, Dulience SJL, Fleckenstein JM. Seroprevalence Study of Conserved Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Antigens in Globally Diverse Populations. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2221. [PMID: 37764065 PMCID: PMC10536235 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are common causes of infectious diarrhea among young children of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) and travelers to these regions. Despite their significant contributions to the morbidity and mortality associated with childhood and traveler's diarrhea, no licensed vaccines are available. Current vaccine strategies may benefit from the inclusion of additional conserved antigens, which may contribute to broader coverage and enhanced efficacy, given their key roles in facilitating intestinal colonization and effective enterotoxin delivery. EatA and EtpA are widely conserved in diverse populations of ETEC, but their immunogenicity has only been studied in controlled human infection models and a population of children in Bangladesh. Here, we compared serologic responses to EatA, EtpA and heat-labile toxin in populations from endemic regions including Haitian children and subjects residing in Egypt, Cameroon, and Peru to US children and adults where ETEC infections are sporadic. We observed elevated IgG and IgA responses in individuals from endemic regions to each of the antigens studied. In a cohort of Haitian children, we observed increased immune responses following exposure to each of the profiled antigens. These findings reflect the wide distribution of ETEC infections across multiple endemic regions and support further evaluation of EatA and EtpA as candidate ETEC vaccine antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Matthew Kuhlmann
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; (F.M.K.); (V.G.); (T.J.V.)
| | - Vadim Grigura
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; (F.M.K.); (V.G.); (T.J.V.)
| | - Timothy J. Vickers
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; (F.M.K.); (V.G.); (T.J.V.)
| | | | - Lora L. Iannotti
- Institute for Public Health, Brown School, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; (L.L.I.); (S.J.L.D.)
| | - Sherlie Jean Louis Dulience
- Institute for Public Health, Brown School, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; (L.L.I.); (S.J.L.D.)
| | - James M. Fleckenstein
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; (F.M.K.); (V.G.); (T.J.V.)
- Medicine Service, Infectious Diseases, Saint Louis VA Health Care System, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Binsker U, Oelgeschläger K, Neumann B, Werner G, Käsbohrer A, Hammerl JA. Genomic Evidence of mcr-1.26 IncX4 Plasmid Transmission between Poultry and Humans. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0101523. [PMID: 37358464 PMCID: PMC10434184 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01015-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Colistin is still commonly used and misused in animal husbandry driving the evolution and dissemination of transmissible plasmid-mediated colistin resistance (mcr). mcr-1.26 is a rare variant and, so far, has only been detected in Escherichia coli obtained from a hospitalized patient in Germany in 2018. Recently, it was also notified in fecal samples from a pigeon in Lebanon. We report on the presence of 16 colistin-resistant, mcr-1.26-carrying extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and commensal E. coli isolated from poultry samples in Germany, of which retail meat was the most common source. Short- and long-read genome sequencing and bioinformatic analyses revealed the location of mcr-1.26 exclusively on IncX4 plasmids. mcr-1.26 was identified on two different IncX4 plasmid types of 33 and 38 kb and was associated with an IS6-like element. Based on the genetic diversity of E. coli isolates, transmission of the mcr-1.26 resistance determinant is mediated by horizontal transfer of IncX4 plasmids, as confirmed by conjugation experiments. Notably, the 33-kb plasmid is highly similar to the plasmid reported for the human sample. Furthermore, we identified the acquisition of an additional beta-lactam resistance linked to a Tn2 transposon on the mcr-1.26 IncX4 plasmids of three isolates, indicating progressive plasmid evolution. Overall, all described mcr-1.26-carrying plasmids contain a highly conserved core genome necessary for colistin resistance development, transmission, replication, and maintenance. Variations in the plasmid sequences are mainly caused by the acquisition of insertion sequences and alteration in intergenic sequences or genes of unknown function. IMPORTANCE Evolutionary events causing the emergence of new resistances/variants are usually rare and challenging to predict. Conversely, common transmission events of widespread resistance determinants are quantifiable and predictable. One such example is the transmissible plasmid-mediated colistin resistance. The main determinant, mcr-1, has been notified in 2016 but has successfully established itself in multiple plasmid backbones in diverse bacterial species across all One Health sectors. So far, 34 variants of mcr-1 are described, of which some can be used for epidemiological tracing-back analysis to identify the origin and transmission dynamics of these genes. Here, we report the presence of the rare mcr-1.26 gene in E. coli isolated from poultry since 2014. Based on the temporal occurrence and high similarity of the plasmids between poultry and human isolates, our study provides first indications for poultry husbandry as the primary source of mcr-1.26 and its transmission between different niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Binsker
- Department Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kathrin Oelgeschläger
- Department Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Neumann
- Institute for Hospital Hygiene, Medical Microbiology and Clinical Infectiology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg General Hospital, Germany
| | - Guido Werner
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
| | - Annemarie Käsbohrer
- Department Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, Institute of Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jens A. Hammerl
- Department Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
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Akinlabi OC, Dada RA, Nwoko ESQA, Okeke IN. PCR diagnostics are insufficient for the detection of Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli in Ibadan, Nigeria. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0001539. [PMID: 37549136 PMCID: PMC10406320 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the contribution of different diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes to disease burden is critical to mapping risk and informing vaccine development. Targeting select virulence genes by PCR is the diagnostic approach of choice in high-burden, least-resourced African settings. We compared the performance of a commonly-used multiplex protocol to whole genome sequencing (WGS). PCR was applied to 3,815 E. coli isolates from 120 children with diarrhoea and 357 healthy controls. Three or more isolates per specimen were also Illumina-sequenced. Following quality assurance, ARIBA and Virulencefinder database were used to identify virulence targets. Root cause analysis of deviant PCR results was performed by examining target sensitivity using BLAST, Sanger sequencing false-positive amplicons, and identifying lineages prone to false-positivity using in-silico multilocus sequence typing and a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism phylogeny constructed using IQTree. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of PCR compared to WGS ranged from 0-77.8% while specificity ranged from 74.5-94.7% for different pathotypes. WGS identified more enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), fewer enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and none of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli detected by PCR, painting a considerably different epidemiological picture. Use of the CVD432 target resulted in EAEC under-detection, and enteropathogenic E. coli eae primers mismatched more recently described intimin alleles common in our setting. False positive ETEC were over-represented among West Africa-predominant ST8746 complex strains. PCR precision varies with pathogen genome so primers optimized for use in one part of the world may have noticeably lower sensitivity and specificity in settings where different pathogen lineages predominate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olabisi C. Akinlabi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
| | - Rotimi A. Dada
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Bowen University Iwo and Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, Medical Laboratory Science Programme, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - El-shama Q. A. Nwoko
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
| | - Iruka N. Okeke
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
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8
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Monfardini MV, Souza RT, Rojas TCG, Guerrieri CG, Orikaza C, Scaletsky ICA. Transposon mutagenesis of atypical enteroaggregative Escherichia coli reveals a hemagglutinin-associated protein that mediates cell adhesion and contributes to the Galleria mellonella virulence. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1166158. [PMID: 37424788 PMCID: PMC10327481 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1166158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Twenty-two atypical enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolates from a previous epidemiological study harboring EAEC virulence genes were examined for their adhesion properties. Nine strains showed a typical aggregative adherence (AA) pattern, while 13 strains showed variant AA, such as AA with lined up cells characteristic of the chain-like adhesion (CLA) and AA mainly to HeLa cells characteristic of the diffuse adherence (DA). The aggregative forming pilus (AFP) genes afpA2 and afpR were detected only in strain Q015B, which exhibited an AA/DA pattern. Using Tn5-based transposon mutagenesis on Q015B strain, we identified a 5517-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a predicted 1838-amino-acid polypeptide that is genetically related to a putative filamentous hemagglutinin identified in E. coli strain 7-233-03_S3_C2. Therefore, the ORF was named orfHA. The regions flanking orfHA were sequenced and two ORFs were found; upstream, an ORF that encodes a 603-amino-acid polypeptide with 99% identity to hemolysin secretion/activation proteins of the ShlB/FhaC/HecB family, and downstream, another ORF, which encodes a 632-amino-acid polypeptide with 72% identity to the glycosyltransferase EtpC. An orfHA mutant (Q015BΔorfHA) was constructed from strain Q015B. Q015BΔorfHA strain did not adhere to HeLa cells, whereas Q015BΔ orfHA transformed with a pACYC184 plasmid carrying orfHA restored the AA/DA phenotype of strain Q015B. Furthermore, the Q015ΔorfHA mutant had a marked effect on the ability of strain Q015B to kill the larvae of Galleria mellonella. Our results suggest that the AA/DA pattern of strain Q015B is mediated by a hemagglutinin-associated protein which also contributes to its virulence in the G. mellonella model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariane V. Monfardini
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata T. Souza
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais C. G. Rojas
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Caroline G. Guerrieri
- Departamento de Patologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | - Cristina Orikaza
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Isabel C. A. Scaletsky
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
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Bonino MP, Crivelli XB, Petrina JF, Galateo S, Gomes TAT, Navarro A, Cundon C, Broglio A, Sanin M, Bentancor A. Detection and analysis of Shiga toxin producing and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in cattle from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Braz J Microbiol 2023; 54:1257-1266. [PMID: 37041346 PMCID: PMC10235289 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-023-00958-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) are pathovars that affect mainly infants' health. Cattle are the main reservoir of STEC. Uremic hemolytic syndrome and diarrheas can be found at high rates in Tierra del Fuego (TDF). This study aimed to establish the prevalence of STEC and EPEC in cattle at slaughterhouses in TDF and to analyze the isolated strains. Out of 194 samples from two slaughterhouses, STEC prevalence was 15%, and EPEC prevalence was 5%. Twenty-seven STEC strains and one EPEC were isolated. The most prevalent STEC serotypes were O185:H19 (7), O185:H7 (6), and O178:H19 (5). There were no STEC eae + strains (AE-STEC) or serogroup O157 detected in this study. The prevalent genotype was stx2c (10/27) followed by stx1a/stx2hb (4/27). Fourteen percent of the strains presented at least one stx non-typeable subtype (4/27). Shiga toxin production was detected in 25/27 STEC strains. The prevalent module for the Locus of Adhesion and Autoaggregation (LAA) island was module III (7/27). EPEC strain was categorized as atypical and with the ability to cause A/E lesion. The ehxA gene was present in 16/28 strains, 12 of which were capable of producing hemolysis. No hybrid strains were detected in this work. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that all strains were resistant to ampicillin and 20/28 were resistant to aminoglycosides. No statistical differences could be seen in the detection of STEC or EPEC either by slaughterhouse location or by production system (extensive grass or feedlot). The rate of STEC detection was lower than the one reported for the rest of Argentina. STEC/EPEC relation was 3 to 1. This is the first study on cattle from TDF as reservoir for strains that are potentially pathogenic to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paz Bonino
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Epidemiología Veterinaria, Cátedra de Microbiología, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Ximena Blanco Crivelli
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Epidemiología Veterinaria, Cátedra de Microbiología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan Facundo Petrina
- Departamento de Epidemiología, Ministerio de Salud de Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Argentina
| | - Sebastian Galateo
- Dirección de Fiscalización Sanitaria, Ministerio de Salud de Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Argentina
| | | | - Armando Navarro
- Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Cecilia Cundon
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Epidemiología Veterinaria, Cátedra de Microbiología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alicia Broglio
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Epidemiología Veterinaria, Cátedra de Microbiología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Sanin
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Epidemiología Veterinaria, Cátedra de Microbiología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adriana Bentancor
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Epidemiología Veterinaria, Cátedra de Microbiología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Llorente MT, Escudero R, Ramiro R, Remacha MA, Martínez-Ruiz R, Galán-Sánchez F, de Frutos M, Elía M, Onrubia I, Sánchez S. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli as etiological agent of endemic diarrhea in Spain: A prospective multicenter prevalence study with molecular characterization of isolates. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1120285. [PMID: 37065134 PMCID: PMC10100739 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1120285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundEnteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is increasingly associated with domestically acquired diarrheal episodes in high-income countries, particularly among children. However, its specific role in endemic diarrhea in this setting remains under-recognized and information on molecular characteristics of such EAEC strains is limited. We aimed to investigate the occurrence of EAEC in patients with non-travel related diarrhea in Spain and molecularly characterize EAEC strains associated with illness acquired in this high-income setting.MethodsIn a prospective multicenter study, stool samples from diarrheal patients with no history of recent travel abroad (n = 1,769) were collected and processed for detection of EAEC and other diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) pathotypes by PCR. An additional case–control study was conducted among children ≤5 years old. Whole-genome sequences (WGS) of the resulting EAEC isolates were obtained.ResultsDetection of DEC in the study population. DEC was detected in 23.2% of patients aged from 0 to 102 years, with EAEC being one of the most prevalent pathotypes (7.8%) and found in significantly more patients ≤5 years old (9.8% vs. 3.4%, p < 0.001). Although not statistically significant, EAEC was more frequent in cases than in controls. WGS-derived characterization of EAEC isolates. Sequence type (ST) 34, ST200, ST40, and ST10 were the predominant STs. O126:H27, O111:H21, and O92:H33 were the predominant serogenotypes. Evidence of a known variant of aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF) was found in 89.2% of isolates, with AAF/V being the most frequent. Ten percent of isolates were additionally classified as presumptive extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), or both, and belonged to clonal lineages that could be specifically associated with extraintestinal infections.ConclusionEAEC was the only bacterial enteric pathogen detected in a significant proportion of cases of endemic diarrhea in Spain, especially in children ≤5 years old. In particular, O126:H27-ST200, O111:H21-ST40, and O92:H33-ST34 were the most important subtypes, with all of them infecting both patients and asymptomatic individuals. Apart from this role as an enteric pathogen, a subset of these domestically acquired EAEC strains revealed an additional urinary/systemic pathogenic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Llorente
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Food and Waterborne Bacterial Infections, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Special Pathogens, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Escudero
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Special Pathogens, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Ramiro
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Food and Waterborne Bacterial Infections, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Antonia Remacha
- Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, León, Spain
| | - Rocío Martínez-Ruiz
- Servicio de Microbiología y Parasitología, Hospital Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, Majadahonda, Spain
| | | | - Mónica de Frutos
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario del Río Hortega, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Matilde Elía
- Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Isabel Onrubia
- Pediatría, Centro de Salud Valle de la Oliva, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Sergio Sánchez
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Food and Waterborne Bacterial Infections, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Sergio Sánchez,
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Whole genome sequence-based characterisation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from game meat originating from several European countries. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3247. [PMID: 36828872 PMCID: PMC9957979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30333-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Game meat is becoming increasingly popular but may be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). STEC cause gastrointestinal illnesses including diarrhoea, haemorrhagic colitis (HC), and the haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of STEC in 92 meat samples from chamois (n = 2), red deer (n = 27), roe deer (n = 38), and wild boar (n = 25), from Switzerland and other European countries. After enrichment, Shiga-toxin encoding genes (stx) were detected by PCR in 78 (84%) of the samples and STEC were isolated from 23 (25%) of the same samples. Nine different serotypes and eight different sequence types (STs) were found, with O146:H28 ST738 (n = 10) and O110:H31 ST812 (n = 5) predominating. None of the STEC belonged to the so-called top-five serogroups O26, O103, O111, O145, and O157. Subtyping of stx identified stx1c (n = 9), stx2a (n = 1), stx2b (n = 19), stx2e (n = 2), and stx2g (n = 1). Additional virulence factors (VFs) comprised ehx (n = 12), iha (n = 21), sta1 (n = 1), and subAB (n = 19). None of the isolates contained the eae gene. Twenty-one STEC contained VFs associated with extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). Overall, the pathogenic potential of STEC in game meat is moderate, though the isolation of one STEC strain carrying stx2a, and of STEC/ExPEC hybrids suggests a role of game meat as a potential source of STEC infections in humans. Therefore, detailed knowledge of the safe handling and preparation of game meat is needed to prevent foodborne infections.
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Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Coagulase Positive Staphylococci in Cured Raw Milk Cheese from Alentejo Region, Portugal. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11020322. [PMID: 36838288 PMCID: PMC9964920 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional cheeses are part of the Portuguese gastronomic identity, and raw milk of autochthonous species is a common primary ingredient. Here, we investigated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, Coagulase Positive Staphylococci (CPS) and pathogenic Escherichia coli, as well as of indicator microorganisms (E. coli and other Listeria spp.) in 96 cured raw milk cheeses from the Alentejo region. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of pathogenic E. coli and Listeria spp. as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) screening of E. coli isolates was also performed. L. monocytogenes, CPS > 104 cfu/g and Extraintestinal E. coli were detected in 15.6%, 16.9% and 10.1% of the samples, respectively. Moreover, L. monocytogenes > 102 cfu/g and Staphylococcal enterotoxins were detected in 4.2% and 2.2% of the samples, respectively. AMR was observed in 27.3% of the E. coli isolates, six of which were multidrug resistant. WGS analysis unveiled clusters of high closely related isolates for both L. monocytogenes and L. innocua (often correlating with the cheese producer). This study can indicate poor hygiene practices during milk collection/preservation or during cheese-making procedures and handling, and highlights the need of more effective prevention and control measures and of multi-sectoral WGS data integration, in order to prevent and detect foodborne bacterial outbreaks.
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Batista R, Saraiva M, Lopes T, Silveira L, Coelho A, Furtado R, Castro R, Correia CB, Rodrigues D, Henriques P, Lóio S, Soeiro V, da Costa PM, Oleastro M, Pista A. Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Campylobacter spp., in Free-Living Birds in Mainland Portugal. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:223. [PMID: 36612545 PMCID: PMC9819048 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Birds are potential carriers of pathogens affecting humans and agriculture. Aiming to evaluate the occurrence of the top three most important foodborne pathogens in free-living birds in Portugal, we investigated 108 individual fecal samples from free-living birds and one pooled sample of gull feces (n = 50) for the presence of Escherichia coli (pathogenic and non-pathogenic), Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. Virulence- and antimicrobial resistance- (AMR) associated genes were detected by PCR and Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS), and phenotypic (serotyping and AMR profiles) characterization was performed. Overall, 8.9% of samples tested positive for pathogenic E. coli, 2.8% for Salmonella spp., and 9.9% for Campylobacter spp. AMR was performed on all pathogenic isolates and in a fraction of non-pathogenic E. coli, being detected in 25.9% of them. Ten of the tested E. coli isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), and seven of them were Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producers. Among Salmonella (n = 3) and Campylobacter (n = 9), only one strain of C. jejuni was identified as MDR. Most of the identified serotypes/sequence types had already been found to be associated with human disease. These results show that free-living birds in Portugal may act as carriers of foodborne pathogens linked to human disease, some of them resistant to critically important antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Batista
- Food Microbiology Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Department, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida Saraiva
- Food Microbiology Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano 321, 4000-055 Oporto, Portugal
| | - Teresa Lopes
- Food Microbiology Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Department, Rua Alexandre Herculano 321, 4000-055 Oporto, Portugal
| | - Leonor Silveira
- National Reference Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anabela Coelho
- Food Microbiology Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Department, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rosália Furtado
- Food Microbiology Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Department, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rita Castro
- National Reference Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cristina Belo Correia
- Food Microbiology Laboratory, Food and Nutrition Department, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - David Rodrigues
- ESAC-IPC, Coimbra College of Agriculture, Polytechnic of Coimbra, 3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal
- CEF, Forest Research Centre, Edifício Prof. Azevedo Gomes, ISA, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Pedro Henriques
- ESAC-IPC, Coimbra College of Agriculture, Polytechnic of Coimbra, 3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal
- Espaço de Visitação e Observação de Aves, 2600 Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal
| | - Sara Lóio
- Centro de Recuperação de Fauna do Parque Biológico de Gaia, Rua da Cunha, Avintes, 4430-812 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Vanessa Soeiro
- Centro de Recuperação de Fauna do Parque Biológico de Gaia, Rua da Cunha, Avintes, 4430-812 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Paulo Martins da Costa
- ICBAS—Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Oporto, Portugal
| | - Mónica Oleastro
- National Reference Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Angela Pista
- National Reference Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
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Analysis of the Virulence and Inflammatory Markers Elicited by Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Isolated from Clinical and Non-Clinical Sources in an Experimental Infection Model, India. MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres13040062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is highly heterogeneous in virulence; we wanted to understand the pathogenic potential of EAEC isolated from various clinical and non-clinical sources in an animal model. We infected male BALB/c mice in six mice/groups with 50 EAEC isolates isolated from clinical and non-clinical sources. We studied colonization, weight loss, stool shedding, and inflammatory markers and their relationship with 21 virulence genes and phylogroups, EAEC organ burden, and histopathological changes. We detected significantly more inflammatory changes and fecal lactoferrin and calprotectin levels in mice infected with EAEC isolated from symptomatic cases. In clinical EAEC isolates, the presence of chromosomal genes (aap (46%), aaiC (23.3%), SPATEs (pet (13.3%), sat (20%), sigA, and pic (6.6%)), the adhesive variantsof EAEC (agg4A (53.3%), aggA (53.3%), aafA (36.6%), andagg3A (40%)), and the master regulator gene aggR (66.6%) were associated with higher levels of lactoferrin and calprotectin. Additionally, 70% (9/13) of EAEC isolated from acute diarrheal cases bearing chuA (70%) in our study were assigned to groups B2 (4 isolates) and D (5 isolates). Real-time PCR analysis revealed that colonization by EAEC strains from different clinical and non-clinical sources occurs up to 10–15 days of life. Even from non-diarrheal stools and non-clinical sources, EAEC strainshad the potential to cause prolonged colonization, weight loss, and inflammation in the intestine, though the degree varied. Moreover, a better understanding of EAEC pathogenic pathways is desperately needed in different clinical scenarios.
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Manhique-Coutinho L, Chiani P, Michelacci V, Taviani E, Bauhofer AFL, Chissaque A, Cossa-Moiane I, Sambo J, Chilaúle J, Guimarães EL, Salência J, Cassocera M, Bero DM, Langa JP, de Deus N. Molecular characterization of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolates from children with diarrhea: A cross-sectional study in four provinces of Mozambique: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in Mozambique. Int J Infect Dis 2022; 121:190-194. [PMID: 35489634 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.04.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Analyze the frequency of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes and their antimicrobial resistance profiles among children aged <15 years with diarrhea in four Mozambican provinces. METHODS A cross-sectional hospital-based surveillance program of diarrhea was implemented in Maputo, Sofala, Zambézia, and Nampula. A single stool sample was collected from each child from May 2014 to May 2017. Culture methods and biochemical characterization were performed to detect E. coli strains. DEC pathotypes were determined by conventional polymerase chain reaction targeting specific virulence genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by the Kirby-Bauer method. RESULTS From 723 specimens analyzed by culture, 262 were positive for E. coli. A total of 208 samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction for DEC identification, of which 101 (48.6%) were positive for a DEC pathotype. The predominant pathotypes were enteroaggregative (66.3%, 67/101), enteropathogenic (15.8%, 16/101), enterotoxigenic (13.9%, 14/101), and enteroinvasive E. coli (4.0%, 4/101). No Shiga toxin-producing E. coli was identified. Regardless of the province, the most frequent pathotype was enteroaggregative E. coli. Isolated DEC presented high frequency of resistance to ampicillin (97.8%), tetracycline (68.3%), chloramphenicol (28.4%), nalidixic acid (19.5%), and gentamicin (14.4%). CONCLUSION Children with diarrhea in Mozambique had DEC and higher resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Manhique-Coutinho
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo 3453, Mozambique.
| | - Paola Chiani
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, 299, 0161, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Michelacci
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, 299, 0161, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Taviani
- Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo 3453, Mozambique
| | - Adilson Fernando Loforte Bauhofer
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Assucênio Chissaque
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Idalécia Cossa-Moiane
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Júlia Sambo
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jorfélia Chilaúle
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Esperança Lourenço Guimarães
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Judite Salência
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Marta Cassocera
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Diocreciano Matias Bero
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - José Paulo Langa
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Nilsa de Deus
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), Estrada Nacional EN1, Parcela n ͦ 3943, Distrito de Marracuene, Maputo, Mozambique.; Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo 3453, Mozambique
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Sheikh A, Wangdi T, Vickers TJ, Aaron B, Palmer M, Miller MJ, Kim S, Herring C, Simoes R, Crainic JA, Gildersleeve JC, van der Post S, Hansson GC, Fleckenstein JM. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Degrades the Host MUC2 Mucin Barrier To Facilitate Critical Pathogen-Enterocyte Interactions in Human Small Intestine. Infect Immun 2022; 90:e0057221. [PMID: 34807735 PMCID: PMC8853678 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00572-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates are genetically diverse pathological variants of E. coli defined by the production of heat-labile (LT) and/or heat-stable (ST) toxins. ETEC strains are estimated to cause hundreds of millions of cases of diarrheal illness annually. However, it is not clear that all strains are equally equipped to cause disease, and asymptomatic colonization with ETEC is common in low- to middle-income regions lacking basic sanitation and clean water where ETEC are ubiquitous. Recent molecular epidemiology studies have revealed a significant association between strains that produce EatA, a secreted autotransporter protein, and the development of symptomatic infection. Here, we demonstrate that LT stimulates production of MUC2 mucin by goblet cells in human small intestine, enhancing the protective barrier between pathogens and enterocytes. In contrast, using explants of human small intestine as well as small intestinal enteroids, we show that EatA counters this host defense by engaging and degrading the MUC2 mucin barrier to promote bacterial access to target enterocytes and ultimately toxin delivery, suggesting that EatA plays a crucial role in the molecular pathogenesis of ETEC. These findings may inform novel approaches to prevention of acute diarrheal illness as well as the sequelae associated with ETEC and other pathogens that rely on EatA and similar proteases for efficient interaction with their human hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaullah Sheikh
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tamding Wangdi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tim J. Vickers
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Bailey Aaron
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Margot Palmer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Mark J. Miller
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Seonyoung Kim
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Cassandra Herring
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Rita Simoes
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Crainic
- Center for Cancer Research, Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Fredrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Jeffrey C. Gildersleeve
- Center for Cancer Research, Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Fredrick, Maryland, USA
| | - Sjoerd van der Post
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gunnar C. Hansson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - James M. Fleckenstein
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Medicine Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
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Emami A, Pirbonyeh N, Javanmardi F, Bazargani A, Moattari A, Keshavarzi A, Akbari A. Molecular diversity survey on diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolates among children with gastroenteritis in Fars, Iran. Future Microbiol 2021; 16:1309-1318. [PMID: 34755537 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2020-0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: To differentiate Escherichia coli isolates from diarrheal pediatric patients in clinical laboratories. Materials & methods: Patients with watery diarrhea were selected for sampling and tested for diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) by API kit. DEC isolates were tested for phylotyping, pathotyping and presence of determined virulence-encoding genes by specific molecular methods. Results: About 50% of isolates were detected as DECs (>55 and >31% were categorized B2 and D phylotypes respectively). Enterotoxigenic E. coli was the most and enteroinvasive E. coli was the lowest prevalent pathotypes. csg and fim genes were the most present virulence factors. Conclusion: Typing of E. coli isolates from stool specimens will help to determine the diversity of diarrheal pathogens and take proper decisions to reduce the health burden of diarrheal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Emami
- Department of Microbiology, Burn & Wound Healing Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Neda Pirbonyeh
- MSc of Microbiology, Burn & Wound Healing Research Center, Microbiology Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Department of Bacteriology & Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Javanmardi
- Department of Microbiology, Burn & Wound Healing Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Abdollah Bazargani
- Department of Bacteriology & Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran
| | - Afagh Moattari
- Department of Bacteriology & Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz, Iran
| | - Abdolkhalegh Keshavarzi
- Department of Surgery, Burn & Wound Healing Research Center,Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ali Akbari
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Potential Zoonotic Pathovars of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Detected in Lambs for Human Consumption from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081710. [PMID: 34442790 PMCID: PMC8401499 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathovars impact childhood health. The southern region of Argentina shows the highest incidence of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children of the country. The big island of Tierra del Fuego (TDF) in Argentina registered an incidence of five cases/100,000 inhabitants of HUS in 2019. This work aimed to establish the prevalence of STEC, EPEC, and EAEC in lambs slaughtered in abattoirs from TDF as well as to characterize the phenotypes and the genotypes of the isolated pathogens. The prevalence was 26.6% for stx+, 5.7% for eae+, and 0.27% for aagR+/aaiC+. Twelve STEC isolates were obtained and belonged to the following serotypes: O70:HNT, O81:H21, O81:HNT, O102:H6, O128ab:H2, O174:H8, and O174:HNT. Their genotypic profiles were stx1c (2), stx1c/ehxA (3), stx2b/ehxA (1), stx1c/stx2b (2), and stx1c/stx2/ehxA (4). Six EPEC isolates were obtained and corresponded to five serotypes: O2:H40, O32:H8, O56:H6, O108:H21, and O177:H25. All the EPEC isolates were bfpA- and two were ehxA+. By XbaI-PFGE of 17 isolates, two clusters were identified. By antimicrobial susceptibility tests, 8/12 STEC and 5/6 EPEC were resistant to at least one antibiotic. This work provides new data to understand the ecology of DEC in TDF and confirms that ovine are an important carrier of these pathogens in the region.
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Modgil V, Chaudhary P, Bharti B, Mahindroo J, Yousuf M, Koundal M, Mohan B, Taneja N. Prevalence, Virulence Gene Profiling, and Characterization of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli from Children with Acute Diarrhea, Asymptomatic Nourished, and Malnourished Children Younger Than 5 Years of Age in India. J Pediatr 2021; 234:106-114.e5. [PMID: 33713662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the significance of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) as a pathogen causing acute diarrhea and a commensal in healthy nourished and malnourished children younger than five years of age in the Chandigarh region and to address possible traits of EAEC virulence genes, biofilm formation, phylogroups, and antibiotic resistance that would be correlated with diarrhea or carriage. STUDY DESIGN Stool samples were obtained from children with acute diarrhea (n = 548), as well as nourished (n = 550), and malnourished controls without diarrhea (n = 110). E coli isolates were confirmed as EAEC by pCVD432 polymerase chain reaction. Multiplex polymerase chain reactions were used to identify 22 virulence-related genes and phylogeny. Antibiotic susceptibility, adherence, and biofilm-forming potential also were studied. RESULTS Overall, 16.6% of children were malnourished. EAEC detection was greater among children with acute diarrhea (16%) than nourished (6%) and malnourished nondiarrheal controls (2.7%). We found an association of EAEC infections with age <2 years (P = .0001) in the diarrheal group. Adhesive variants adhesion fimbriae IV and adhesion fimbriae II were significantly associated with diarrhea. The aggR and aar genes showed a positive and negative association with the severity of disease (P = .0004 and P = .0003). A high degree of multidrug resistance was found (73.8%) in the diarrheal group. Most EAEC strains from the diarrheal group belonged to B2 and D phylogroups, whereas strains from non-diarrheal groups, which belonged to phylogroup B1. CONCLUSIONS EAEC is a significant contributor to childhood diarrhea, its presence as a commensal, and the significance of the association of various virulence factors among the EAEC isolated from diarrheal and non-diarrheal stools. These data reinforce the importance of aggR and aar as positive and negative regulators and the contribution of AAF/II and AAF/IV fimbria for the pathobiology of EAEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Modgil
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Pankaj Chaudhary
- Department of Pediatrics Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Bhavneet Bharti
- Department of Pediatrics Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Jaspreet Mahindroo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Md Yousuf
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Meenakshi Koundal
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Balvinder Mohan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Neelam Taneja
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Several types of Escherichia coli cause acute diarrhea in humans and are responsible for a large burden of disease globally. The purpose of this review is to summarize diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotype definitions and discuss existing and emerging molecular, genomic, and gut microbiome methods to detect, define, and study DEC pathotypes. RECENT FINDINGS DEC pathotypes are currently diagnosed by molecular detection of unique virulence genes. However, some pathotypes have defied coherent molecular definitions because of imperfect gene targets, and pathotype categories are complicated by hybrid strains and isolation of pathotypes from asymptomatic individuals. Recent progress toward more efficient, sensitive, and multiplex DEC pathotype detection has been made using emerging PCR-based technologies. Genomics and gut microbiome detection methods continue to advance rapidly and are contributing to a better understanding of DEC pathotype diversity and functional potential. SUMMARY DEC pathotype categorizations and detection methods are useful but imperfect. The implementation of molecular and sequence-based methods and well designed epidemiological studies will continue to advance understanding of DEC pathotypes. Additional emphasis is needed on sequencing DEC genomes from regions of the world where they cause the most disease and from the pathotypes that cause the greatest burden of disease globally.
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Non-diarrheagenic and diarrheagenic E. coli carrying supplementary virulence genes (SVG) are associated with diarrhea in children from Mexico. Microb Pathog 2021; 157:104994. [PMID: 34044054 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.104994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli strains, including diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC), are among the most important causes of childhood diarrhea in developing countries. Since these strains also colonize healthy children, additional factors leading to diarrhea remains to be discovered. We therefore conducted a comprehensive study to investigate if supplementary virulence genes (SVG) carried by DEC strains and non-DEC strains, contribute to diarrhea in Mexican children. E. coli strains were isolated from n = 317 children between 6 and 12 years, n = 114 with diarrhea and n = 203 asymptomatic children from Northwestern Mexico, PCR was used to identify SVG, then virulence score and cytotoxic assay in HT-29 cells were performed to evaluate virulence of E. coli strains. DEC prevalence was 18.6% and its presence was significantly associated with diarrhea cases. aEPEC, tEAEC, ETEC, DAEC, aEAEC, tEPEC, and EIEC pathotypes were identified. aEPEC strains were significantly associated with asymptomatic children, whereas ETEC was only identified in children with diarrhea. E. coli strains carrying colonization-related SVG and/or proteolysis-related SVG were significantly associated with diarrhea. DEC strains were associated to diarrhea if strains carried SVG ehaC, kps, nleB, and/or espC. Virulence score was significantly higher in E. coli from diarrhea cases than asymptomatic. In addition, DEC strains carrying SVG+ were more virulent, followed by non-DEC SVG+ strains, and correlated with the cytotoxicity assay. Nearly 50% of DEC strains were MDR, and ~10% were XDR. In conclusion the findings of this work provide evidence that the presence of E. coli strains (regardless if strains are DEC or non-DEC) with SVG were associated with diarrhea in Mexican children.
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Molecular Epidemiology of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) Isolates of Hospitalized Children from Bolivia Reveal High Heterogeneity and Multidrug-Resistance. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249543. [PMID: 33334000 PMCID: PMC7765457 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an emerging pathogen frequently associated with acute diarrhea in children and travelers to endemic regions. EAEC was found the most prevalent bacterial diarrheal pathogen from hospitalized Bolivian children less than five years of age with acute diarrhea from 2007 to 2010. Here, we further characterized the epidemiology of EAEC infection, virulence genes, and antimicrobial susceptibility of EAEC isolated from 414 diarrheal and 74 non-diarrheal cases. EAEC isolates were collected and subjected to a PCR-based virulence gene screening of seven virulence genes and a phenotypic resistance test to nine different antimicrobials. Our results showed that atypical EAEC (a-EAEC, AggR-negative) was significantly associated with diarrhea (OR, 1.62, 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.09, p < 0.001) in contrast to typical EAEC (t-EAEC, AggR-positive). EAEC infection was most prevalent among children between 7–12 months of age. The number of cases exhibited a biannual cycle with a major peak during the transition from warm to cold (April–June). Both typical and a-EAEC infections were graded as equally severe; however, t-EAEC harbored more virulence genes. aap, irp2 and pic were the most prevalent genes. Surprisingly, we detected 60% and 52.6% of multidrug resistance (MDR) EAEC among diarrheal and non-diarrheal cases. Resistance to ampicillin, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines was most common, being the corresponding antibiotics, the ones that are frequently used in Bolivia. Our work is the first study that provides comprehensive information on the high heterogenicity of virulence genes in t-EAEC and a- EAEC and the large prevalence of MDR EAEC in Bolivia.
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Modgil V, Mahindroo J, Narayan C, Kalia M, Yousuf M, Shahi V, Koundal M, Chaudhary P, Jain R, Sandha KS, Tanwar S, Gupta P, Thakur K, Singh D, Gautam N, Kakkar M, Bharti B, Mohan B, Taneja N. Comparative analysis of virulence determinants, phylogroups, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of typical versus atypical Enteroaggregative E. coli in India. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008769. [PMID: 33206643 PMCID: PMC7673547 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an evolving enteric pathogen that causes acute and chronic diarrhea in developed and industrialized nations in children. EAEC epidemiology and the importance of atypical EAEC (aEAEC) isolation in childhood diarrhea are not well documented in the Indian setting. A comparative analysis was undertaken to evaluate virulence, phylogeny, and antibiotic sensitivity among typical tEAEC versus aEAEC. A total of 171 EAEC isolates were extracted from a broad surveillance sample of diarrheal (N = 1210) and healthy children (N = 550) across North India. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the aggR gene (master regulator gene) was conducted to differentiate tEAEC and aEAEC. For 21 virulence genes, we used multiplex PCR to classify possible virulence factors among these strains. Phylogenetic classes were identified by a multiplex PCR for chuA, yjaA, and a cryptic DNA fragment, TspE4C2. Antibiotic susceptibility was conducted by the disc diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines. EAEC was associated with moderate to severe diarrhea in children. The prevalence of EAEC infection (11.4%) was higher than any other DEC group (p = 0.002). tEAEC occurrence in the diarrheal group was higher than in the control group (p = 0.0001). tEAEC strain harbored more virulence genes than aEAEC. astA, aap, and aggR genes were most frequently found in the EAEC from the diarrheal population. Within tEAEC, this gene combination was present in more than 50% of strains. Also, 75.8% of EAEC strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Phylogroup D (43.9%) and B1 (39.4%) were most prevalent in the diarrheal and control group, respectively. Genetic analysis revealed EAEC variability; the comparison of tEAEC and aEAEC allowed us to better understand the EAEC virulence repertoire. Further microbiological and epidemiological research is required to examine the pathogenicity of not only typical but also atypical EAEC. Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) are an increasingly important cause of diarrhea. E. coli belonging to this category cause watery diarrhea, which is often persistent and can be inflammatory. It is also associated with traveler’s diarrhea in children and adults in middle and high-income countries. EAEC are defined by their ability to adhere to epithelial cells in a characteristic stacked brick-like pattern. However, the identification of these pathogenic strains remains elusive because of its heterogeneous nature. Genes that could contribute to the pathogenicity of EAEC encode adhesions, toxins, and other factors. Due to the heterogeneity of EAEC strains and differing host immune responses, not all EAEC infections are symptomatic. A critical factor in both recognizing EAEC pathogenesis and defining typical EAEC (tEAEC) strains is AggR, a transcriptional control for many EAEC virulence genes. The central role of aggR in virulence confers a strong priority to understand its pathogenicity. To identify EAEC, the CVD432 probe has been used. The CVD432 is a DNA probe from pAA plasmid of EAEC, has been reported to be specific for the detection of EAEC. The lack of sensitivity comes from the genetic heterogeneity of the EAEC strains and the wide geographic dispersal of strains. In our study, we performed a large surveillance of EAEC from North India among the pediatric population. Samples were collected by the microbiology staff at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and referral system labs in Chandigarh (Manimajra), Punjab (Ludhiana), Haryana (Panchkula and Ambala Cantt), Himachal Pradesh (Hamirpur, Shimla, and Tanda), and Uttarakhand (Rishikesh, Rudrapur, and Haridwar)]. PGIMER is the largest tertiary care hospital in North India and serves patients from across Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. EAEC infections were detected using molecular methods. In our finding, astA, aap, and aggR genes were most frequently found in the EAEC from the diarrheal population. Within tEAEC, this gene combination is present in more than 50% of strains and helps to differentiate tEAEC from aEAEC. Our collection of EAEC strains helps in finding an appropriate marker for the early detection of EAEC. Our signature sequence (astA, aap, and aggR) will be ideal as focus genes for EAEC identification, as well as tEAEC and aEAEC. The multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 75.8% of the EAEC strains. tEAEC exhibits resistance to a greater number of antibiotics with respect to aEAEC. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that EAEC phylogeny is diverse and dispersed in all the phylogroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Modgil
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Jaspreet Mahindroo
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Chandradeo Narayan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Manmohit Kalia
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Md Yousuf
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Varun Shahi
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Meenakshi Koundal
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Pankaj Chaudhary
- Department of Pediatrics Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh (PGIMER), India
| | - Ruby Jain
- Civil Hospital Manimajra, Chandigarh, India
| | | | | | - Pratima Gupta
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Kamlesh Thakur
- Department of Microbiology, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College Kangra (RPGMC), Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Digvijay Singh
- Department of Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Medical college (IGMC), Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Neha Gautam
- Department of Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Medical college (IGMC), Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | | | - Bhavneet Bharti
- Department of Pediatrics Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh (PGIMER), India
| | - Balvinder Mohan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Neelam Taneja
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
- * E-mail:
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Modgil V, Kaur H, Mohan B, Taneja N. Molecular, phylogenetic and antibiotic resistance analysis of enteroaggregative escherichia coli/uropathogenic Escherichia coli hybrid genotypes causing urinary tract infections. Indian J Med Microbiol 2020; 38:421-429. [PMID: 33154257 DOI: 10.4103/ijmm.ijmm_20_365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Background Horizontal gene transfer of virulence genes (VGs) from different Escherichia coli pathotypes results in the evolution of hybrid strains. Hybrid genotypes of enteroaggregative E. coli and uropathogenic E. coli (EAEC/UPEC) have been reported in sporadic infections and outbreaks of extraintestinal origin. Yet, their association with routine infections is still underrated. Materials and Methods In this study, we analysed 163 isolates of E. coli from cases of urinary tract infection seeking hybrid (EAEC/UPEC) strains. Using multiplex polymerase chain reaction, we investigated VGs (adhesive and toxin genes) of UPEC along with EAEC marker genes (aap and agg R), ast A (toxin genes) and serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae, pet (plasmid-encoded toxin) and pic (mucinase gene). Those UPEC strains which had characteristic defining genes of EAEC (agg R/aap or their combination) were considered UPEC/EAEC hybrids. Results Molecular predictors of EAEC (aap and aggR) were detected in 20.2% (33/163) of the strains. The pap C was also detected in 36% of the EAEC/UPEC hybrid strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that hybrid strains belonged to Group D (60.6%). Nearly 73.8% of UPEC and 75.7% of UPEC/EAEC hybrid strains were multidrug-resistant. Among UPEC isolates, 72.3% and in hybrid UPEC/EAEC, 78.7% isolates were able to produce biofilm. Conclusions Our results indicated a closer relationship among EAEC and UPEC, which suggested that some EAEC strains can be potential uropathogens. Ours is a first study documenting the existence of EAEC pathotypes VGs in UPEC strains of nosocomial origin; further studies are required to understand the diarrhoeagenic potential of these hybrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Modgil
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Harpreet Kaur
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Balvinder Mohan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Neelam Taneja
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
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25
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Shawki A, Ramirez R, Spalinger MR, Ruegger PM, Sayoc-Becerra A, Santos AN, Chatterjee P, Canale V, Mitchell JD, Macbeth JC, Gries CM, Tremblay ML, Hsiao A, Borneman J, McCole DF. The autoimmune susceptibility gene, PTPN2, restricts expansion of a novel mouse adherent-invasive E. coli. Gut Microbes 2020; 11:1547-1566. [PMID: 32586195 PMCID: PMC7524159 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1775538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis involves significant contributions from genetic and environmental factors. Loss-of-function single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) gene increase IBD risk and are associated with altered microbiome population dynamics in IBD. Expansion of intestinal pathobionts, such as adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC), is strongly implicated in IBD pathogenesis as AIEC increases pro-inflammatory cytokine production and alters tight junction protein regulation - suggesting a potential mechanism of pathogen-induced barrier dysfunction and inflammation. We aimed to determine if PTPN2 deficiency alters intestinal microbiome composition to promote expansion of specific bacteria with pathogenic properties. In mice constitutively lacking Ptpn2, we identified increased abundance of a novel mouse AIEC (mAIEC) that showed similar adherence and invasion of intestinal epithelial cells, but greater survival in macrophages, to the IBD-associated AIEC, LF82. Furthermore, mAIEC caused disease when administered to mice lacking segmented-filamentous bacteria (SFB), and in germ-free mice but only when reconstituted with a microbiome, thus supporting its classification as a pathobiont, not a pathogen. Moreover, mAIEC infection increased the severity of, and prevented recovery from, induced colitis. Although mAIEC genome sequence analysis showed >90% similarity to LF82, mAIEC contained putative virulence genes with >50% difference in gene/protein identities from LF82 indicating potentially distinct genetic features of mAIEC. We show for the first time that an IBD susceptibility gene, PTPN2, modulates the gut microbiome to protect against a novel pathobiont. This study generates new insights into gene-environment-microbiome interactions in IBD and identifies a new model to study AIEC-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Shawki
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Rocio Ramirez
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Marianne R. Spalinger
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Paul M. Ruegger
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Anica Sayoc-Becerra
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Alina N. Santos
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Pritha Chatterjee
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Vinicius Canale
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Jonathan D. Mitchell
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - John C. Macbeth
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Casey M. Gries
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | | | - Ansel Hsiao
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - James Borneman
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Declan F. McCole
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
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Boisen N, Østerlund MT, Joensen KG, Santiago AE, Mandomando I, Cravioto A, Chattaway MA, Gonyar LA, Overballe-Petersen S, Stine OC, Rasko DA, Scheutz F, Nataro JP. Redefining enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC): Genomic characterization of epidemiological EAEC strains. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008613. [PMID: 32898134 PMCID: PMC7500659 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) has been implicated as a common cause of diarrhea in multiple settings, neither its essential genomic nature nor its role as an enteric pathogen are fully understood. The current definition of this pathotype requires demonstration of cellular adherence; a working molecular definition encompasses E. coli which do not harbor the heat-stable or heat-labile toxins of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and harbor the genes aaiC, aggR, and/or aatA. In an effort to improve the definition of this pathotype, we report the most definitive characterization of the pan-genome of EAEC to date, applying comparative genomics and functional characterization on a collection of 97 EAEC strains isolated in the course of a multicenter case-control diarrhea study (Global Enteric Multi-Center Study, GEMS). Genomic analysis revealed that the EAEC strains mapped to all phylogenomic groups of E. coli. Circa 70% of strains harbored one of the five described AAF variants; there were no additional AAF variants identified, and strains that lacked an identifiable AAF generally did not have an otherwise complete AggR regulon. An exception was strains that harbored an ETEC colonization factor (CF) CS22, like AAF a member of the chaperone-usher family of adhesins, but not phylogenetically related to the AAF family. Of all genes scored, sepA yielded the strongest association with diarrhea (P = 0.002) followed by the increased serum survival gene, iss (p = 0.026), and the outer membrane protease gene ompT (p = 0.046). Notably, the EAEC genomes harbored several genes characteristically associated with other E. coli pathotypes. Our data suggest that a molecular definition of EAEC could comprise E. coli strains harboring AggR and a complete AAF(I-V) or CS22 gene cluster. Further, it is possible that strains meeting this definition could be both enteric bacteria and urinary/systemic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Boisen
- Statens Serum Institut, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mark T. Østerlund
- Statens Serum Institut, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Katrine G. Joensen
- Statens Serum Institut, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Araceli E. Santiago
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Inacio Mandomando
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Alejandro Cravioto
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Faculty of Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marie A. Chattaway
- Public Health England, Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU), Colindale, United Kingdom
| | - Laura A. Gonyar
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | | | - O. Colin Stine
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David A. Rasko
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Flemming Scheutz
- Statens Serum Institut, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - James P. Nataro
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
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Abstract
Escherichia coli is a commensal of the vertebrate gut that is increasingly involved in various intestinal and extra-intestinal infections as an opportunistic pathogen. Numerous pathotypes that represent groups of strains with specific pathogenic characteristics have been described based on heterogeneous and complex criteria. The democratization of whole-genome sequencing has led to an accumulation of genomic data that render possible a population phylogenomic approach to the emergence of virulence. Few lineages are responsible for the pathologies compared with the diversity of commensal strains. These lineages emerged multiple times during E. coli evolution, mainly by acquiring virulence genes located on mobile elements, but in a specific chromosomal phylogenetic background. This repeated emergence of stable and cosmopolitan lineages argues for an optimization of strain fitness through epistatic interactions between the virulence determinants and the remaining genome.
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28
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Nouws S, Bogaerts B, Verhaegen B, Denayer S, Crombé F, De Rauw K, Piérard D, Marchal K, Vanneste K, Roosens NHC, De Keersmaecker SCJ. The Benefits of Whole Genome Sequencing for Foodborne Outbreak Investigation from the Perspective of a National Reference Laboratory in a Smaller Country. Foods 2020; 9:E1030. [PMID: 32752159 PMCID: PMC7466227 DOI: 10.3390/foods9081030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Gradually, conventional methods for foodborne pathogen typing are replaced by whole genome sequencing (WGS). Despite studies describing the overall benefits, National Reference Laboratories of smaller countries often show slower uptake of WGS, mainly because of significant investments required to generate and analyze data of a limited amount of samples. To facilitate this process and incite policy makers to support its implementation, a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 (stx1+, stx2+, eae+) outbreak (2012) and a STEC O157:H7 (stx2+, eae+) outbreak (2013) were retrospectively analyzed using WGS and compared with their conventional investigations. The corresponding results were obtained, with WGS delivering even more information, e.g., on virulence and antimicrobial resistance genotypes. Besides a universal, all-in-one workflow with less hands-on-time (five versus seven actual working days for WGS versus conventional), WGS-based cgMLST-typing demonstrated increased resolution. This enabled an accurate cluster definition, which remained unsolved for the 2013 outbreak, partly due to scarce epidemiological linking with the suspect source. Moreover, it allowed detecting two and one earlier circulating STEC O157:H7 (stx1+, stx2+, eae+) and STEC O157:H7 (stx2+, eae+) strains as closely related to the 2012 and 2013 outbreaks, respectively, which might have further directed epidemiological investigation initially. Although some bottlenecks concerning centralized data-sharing, sampling strategies, and perceived costs should be considered, we delivered a proof-of-concept that even in smaller countries, WGS offers benefits for outbreak investigation, if a sufficient budget is available to ensure its implementation in surveillance. Indeed, applying a database with background isolates is critical in interpreting isolate relationships to outbreaks, and leveraging the true benefit of WGS in outbreak investigation and/or prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Nouws
- Department of Expertise and service provision, Transversal activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.N.); (B.B.); (K.V.); (N.H.C.R.)
- Department of Information Technology, IDLab, imec, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Bert Bogaerts
- Department of Expertise and service provision, Transversal activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.N.); (B.B.); (K.V.); (N.H.C.R.)
- Department of Information Technology, IDLab, imec, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Bavo Verhaegen
- National Reference Laboratory for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (NRL-STEC), National Reference Laboratory for Foodborne Outbreaks (NRL-FBO), Department of Infectious diseases in humans, Foodborne Pathogens, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (B.V.); (S.D.)
| | - Sarah Denayer
- National Reference Laboratory for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (NRL-STEC), National Reference Laboratory for Foodborne Outbreaks (NRL-FBO), Department of Infectious diseases in humans, Foodborne Pathogens, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (B.V.); (S.D.)
| | - Florence Crombé
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, National Reference Center for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (NRC-STEC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), 1090 Brussels, Belgium; (F.C.); (K.D.R.); (D.P.)
| | - Klara De Rauw
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, National Reference Center for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (NRC-STEC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), 1090 Brussels, Belgium; (F.C.); (K.D.R.); (D.P.)
| | - Denis Piérard
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, National Reference Center for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (NRC-STEC), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), 1090 Brussels, Belgium; (F.C.); (K.D.R.); (D.P.)
| | - Kathleen Marchal
- Department of Information Technology, IDLab, imec, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium;
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0083, South Africa
| | - Kevin Vanneste
- Department of Expertise and service provision, Transversal activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.N.); (B.B.); (K.V.); (N.H.C.R.)
| | - Nancy H. C. Roosens
- Department of Expertise and service provision, Transversal activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.N.); (B.B.); (K.V.); (N.H.C.R.)
| | - Sigrid C. J. De Keersmaecker
- Department of Expertise and service provision, Transversal activities in Applied Genomics, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.N.); (B.B.); (K.V.); (N.H.C.R.)
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Gonzales JC, Seribelli AA, Gomes CN, Dos Prazeres Rodrigues D, Campioni F, Passaglia J, da Silva P, Falcão JP. A high number of multidrug-resistant and predominant genetically related cluster of Shigella flexneri strains isolated over 34 years in Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 2020; 51:1563-1571. [PMID: 32710175 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-020-00332-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Shigella flexneri has been a major public health problem in developing countries. This work analyzed the frequency of 16 virulence genes, the genotypic diversity, and the antimicrobial resistance profiles of 130 S. flexneri strains isolated in Brazil. The ipaH gene was found in all the 130 strains. The frequencies of the other genes were variable ial (88.5%), sigA (82.3%), iuc (74.6%), virA (73%), pic (72.3%), virF (57.7%), sat (48.5%), ipaBCD (37%), sen (36%), set1A (35.4%), sepA (30%), set1B (30%), virB (14%), icsA (10%), and ipgD (5.4%). A total of 57 (43.8%) strains were multidrug-resistant. ERIC-PCR grouped 96 of the strains into a single cluster with ≥ 70.4% of similarity, 75 of these strains presented a similarity ≥ 80.9%. PFGE grouped 120 of the strains into a single cluster with 57.4% of similarity and 82 of these strains presented a similarity ≥ 70.6%. In conclusion, the high frequency of some virulence genes reinforces the pathogenic potential of the strains studied. The high rates of MDR strains are alarming once it may lead to failure when antimicrobial treatment is necessary. Genotype techniques reveled a major cluster with high genetic similarity including S. flexneri strains from the different Brazilian states and distinct years of isolation, showing that they probably emerged from a common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Cunha Gonzales
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Amanda Aparecida Seribelli
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Carolina Nogueira Gomes
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | | | - Fábio Campioni
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Passaglia
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Paulo da Silva
- Instituto Adolfo Lutz de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana Pfrimer Falcão
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil.
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30
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Moraes CTP, Longo J, Silva LB, Pimenta DC, Carvalho E, Morone MSLC, da Rós N, Serrano SMT, Santos ACM, Piazza RMF, Barbosa AS, Elias WP. Surface Protein Dispersin of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Binds Plasminogen That Is Converted Into Active Plasmin. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1222. [PMID: 32625178 PMCID: PMC7315649 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Dispersin is a 10.2 kDa-immunogenic protein secreted by enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC). In the prototypical EAEC strain 042, dispersin is non-covalently bound to the outer membrane, assisting dispersion across the intestinal mucosa by overcoming electrostatic attraction between the AAF/II fimbriae and the bacterial surface. Also, dispersin facilitates penetration of the intestinal mucus layer. Initially characterized in EAEC, dispersin has been detected in other E. coli pathotypes, including those isolated from extraintestinal sites. In this study we investigated the binding capacity of purified dispersin to extracellular matrix (ECM), since dispersin is exposed on the bacterial surface and is involved in intestinal colonization. Binding to plasminogen was also investigated due to the presence of conserved carboxy-terminal lysine residues in dispersin sequences, which are involved in plasminogen binding in several bacterial proteins. Moreover, some E. coli components can interact with this host protease, as well as with tissue plasminogen activator, leading to plasmin production. Recombinant dispersin was produced and used in binding assays with ECM molecules and coagulation cascade compounds. Purified dispersin bound specifically to laminin and plasminogen. Interaction with plasminogen occurred in a dose-dependent and saturable manner. In the presence of plasminogen activator, bound plasminogen was converted into plasmin, its active form, leading to fibrinogen and vitronectin cleavage. A collection of E. coli strains isolated from human bacteremia was screened for the presence of aap, the dispersin-encoding gene. Eight aap-positive strains were detected and dispersin production could be observed in four of them. Our data describe new attributes for dispersin and points out to possible roles in mechanisms of tissue adhesion and dissemination, considering the binding capacity to laminin, and the generation of dispersin-bound plasmin(ogen), which may facilitate E. coli spread from the colonization site to other tissues and organs. The cleavage of fibrinogen in the bloodstream, may also contribute to the pathogenesis of sepsis caused by dispersin-producing E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan Longo
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ludmila B Silva
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel C Pimenta
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eneas Carvalho
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana S L C Morone
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology - Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nancy da Rós
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology - Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Solange M T Serrano
- Laboratory of Applied Toxinology - Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina M Santos
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Angela S Barbosa
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Waldir P Elias
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
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Petro CD, Duncan JK, Seldina YI, Allué-Guardia A, Eppinger M, Riddle MS, Tribble DR, Johnson RC, Dalgard CL, Sukumar G, Connor P, Boisen N, Melton-Celsa AR. Genetic and Virulence Profiles of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) Isolated From Deployed Military Personnel (DMP) With Travelers' Diarrhea. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:200. [PMID: 32509590 PMCID: PMC7251025 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
To discern if there was a particular genotype associated with clinical enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strains isolated from deployed military personnel (DMP) with travelers' diarrhea (TD), we characterized a collection of EAEC from DMP deployed to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kenya, or Honduras. Although we did not identify a specific EAEC genotype associated with TD in DMP, we found that EAEC isolated at the first clinic visit were more likely to encode the dispersin gene aap than EAEC collected at follow-up visits. A majority of the EAEC isolates were typical EAEC that adhered to HEp-2 cells, formed biofilms, and harbored genes for aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF), AggR, and serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATEs). A separate subset of the EAEC had aggR and genes for SPATEs but encoded a gene highly homologous to that for CS22, a fimbriae more commonly found in enterotoxigenic E. coli. None of these CS22-encoding EAEC formed biofilms in vitro or adhered to HEp-2 cells. Whole genome sequence and single nucleotide polymorphism analyses demonstrated that most of the strains were genetically diverse, but that a few were closely related. Isolation of these related strains occurred within days to more than a year apart, a finding that suggests a persistent source and genomic stability. In an ampicillin-treated mouse model we found that an agg4A+ aar- isolate formed a biofilm in the intestine and caused reduced weight gain in mice, whereas a strain that did not form an in vivo biofilm caused no morbidity. Our diverse strain collection from DMP displays the heterogeneity of EAEC strains isolated from human patients, and our mouse model of infection indicated the genotype agg4A+ aar– and/or capacity to form biofilm in vivo may correlate to disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney D Petro
- Department of Microbiology and Immunolgy, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jeffrey K Duncan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunolgy, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Yuliya I Seldina
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Anna Allué-Guardia
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States.,South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Mark Eppinger
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States.,South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Mark S Riddle
- Department of Preventative Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - David R Tribble
- Department of Preventative Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ryan C Johnson
- Department of Preventative Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Clifton L Dalgard
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States.,The American Genome Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Gauthaman Sukumar
- The American Genome Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States.,Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program, Henry Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Patrick Connor
- Military Enteric Disease Group, Academic Department of Military Medicine, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Nadia Boisen
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Angela R Melton-Celsa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunolgy, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
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32
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Emergence of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli within the ST131 Lineage as a Cause of Extraintestinal Infections. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.00353-20. [PMID: 32430467 PMCID: PMC7240153 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00353-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
E. coli ST131 is an important extraintestinal pathogenic lineage. A signature characteristic of ST131 is its ability to asymptomatically colonize the gastrointestinal tract and then opportunistically cause extraintestinal infections, such as cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urosepsis. In this study, we identified an ST131 H27 sublineage that has acquired the enteroaggregative diarrheagenic phenotype, spread across multiple continents, and caused multiple outbreaks of community-acquired ESBL-associated bloodstream infections in Denmark. The strain’s ability to both cause diarrhea and innocuously colonize the human gastrointestinal tract may facilitate its dissemination and establishment in the community. Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) is a major cause of urinary and bloodstream infections. Its association with extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) significantly complicates treatment. Its best-described component is the rapidly expanding H30Rx clade, containing allele 30 of the type 1 fimbrial adhesin gene fimH. This lineage appears to have emerged in the United States and spread around the world in part due to the acquisition of the ESBL-encoding blaCTX-M-15 gene and resistance to fluoroquinolones. However, non-H30 ST131 sublineages with other acquired CTX-M-type resistance genes are also emerging. Based on whole-genome analyses, we describe here the presence of an (fimH) H27 E. coli ST131 sublineage that has recently caused an outbreak of community-acquired bacteremia and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Denmark. This sublineage has acquired both a virulence plasmid (pAA) that defines the enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) diarrheagenic pathotype and multiple genes associated with extraintestinal E. coli (ExPEC); combined, these traits have made this particular ST131 sublineage successful at colonizing its human host and causing recurrent UTI. Moreover, using a historic World Health Organization (WHO) E. coli collection and publicly available genome sequences, we identified a global H27 EAEC ST131 sublineage that dates back as far as 1998. Most H27 EAEC ST131 isolates harbor pAA or pAA-like plasmids, and our analysis strongly implies a single ancestral acquisition among these isolates. These findings illustrate both the profound plasticity of this important pathogenic E. coli ST131 H27 sublineage and genetic acquisitions of EAEC-specific virulence traits that likely confer an enhanced ability to cause intestinal colonization.
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33
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Escherichia coli ST131 clones harbouring AggR and AAF/V fimbriae causing bacteremia in Mozambican children: Emergence of new variant of fimH27 subclone. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008274. [PMID: 32357189 PMCID: PMC7219792 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 fimH30 responsible for extra-intestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) infections is globally distributed. However, the occurrence of a subclone fimH27 of ST131 harboring both ExPEC and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) related genes and belonging to commonly reported O25:H4 and other serotypes causing bacteremia in African children remain unknown. We characterized 325 E. coli isolates causing bacteremia in Mozambican children between 2001 and 2014 by conventional multiplex polymerase chain reaction and whole genome sequencing. Incidence rate of EAEC bacteremia was calculated among cases from the demographic surveillance study area. Approximately 17.5% (57/325) of isolates were EAEC, yielding an incidence rate of 45.3 episodes/105 children-years-at-risk among infants; and 44 of isolates were sequenced. 72.7% (32/44) of sequenced strains contained simultaneously genes associated with ExPEC (iutA, fyuA and traT); 88.6% (39/44) harbored the aggregative adherence fimbriae type V variant (AAF/V). Sequence type ST-131 accounted for 84.1% (37/44), predominantly belonging to serotype O25:H4 (59% of the 37); 95.6% (35/44) harbored fimH27. Approximately 15% (6/41) of the children died, and five of the six yielded ST131 strains (83.3%) mostly (60%; 3/5) due to serotypes other than O25:H4. We report the emergence of a new subclone of ST-131 E. coli strains belonging to O25:H4 and other serotypes harboring both ExPEC and EAEC virulence genes, including agg5A, associated with poor outcome in bacteremic Mozambican children, suggesting the need for prompt recognition for appropriate management. Escherichia coli ST131 has emerged as a globally disseminated multi-drug resistant clone associated with extra-intestinal infections acquired in the community or hospital. In Manhiça district, E. coli is among the top five leading bloodstream pathogens in children. We characterized E. coli strains causing bacteremia in young children in a rural hospital of Mozambique, providing novel information on the occurrence of a new subclone of ST131 harboring both ExPEC and EAEC related genes and belonging to commonly reported O25:H4 and other serotypes. These data suggest the need for further understanding of pathogenesis and clinical impact of this new entity to inform prompt recognition and appropriate treatment.
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Dias RCB, Tanabe RHS, Vieira MA, Cergole-Novella MC, Dos Santos LF, Gomes TAT, Elias WP, Hernandes RT. Analysis of the Virulence Profile and Phenotypic Features of Typical and Atypical Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) Isolated From Diarrheal Patients in Brazil. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:144. [PMID: 32391284 PMCID: PMC7188757 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an important agent of acute and persistent diarrhea in children and adults worldwide. Here we report a characterization of 220 EAEC isolates, 88.2% (194/220) of which were typical and 11.8% (26/220) were atypical, obtained from diarrheal patients during seven years (2010-2016) of epidemiological surveillance in Brazil. The majority of the isolates were assigned to phylogroups A (44.1%, 97/220) or B1 (21.4%, 47/220). The aggregative adherence (AA) pattern was detected in 92.7% (204/220) of the isolates, with six of them exhibiting AA concomitantly with a chain-like adherence pattern; and agg5A and agg4A were the most common adhesin-encoding genes, which were equally detected in 14.5% (32/220) of the isolates. Each of 12 virulence factor-encoding genes (agg4A, agg5A, pic, aap, aaiA, aaiC, aaiG, orf3, aar, air, capU, and shf) were statistically associated with typical EAEC (P < 0.05). The genes encoding the newly described aggregate-forming pili (AFP) searched (afpB, afpD, afpP, and afpA2), and/or its regulator (afpR), were exclusively detected in atypical EAEC (57.7%, 15/26), and showed a significant association with this subgroup of EAEC (P < 0.001). In conclusion, we presented an extensive characterization of the EAEC circulating in the Brazilian settings and identified the afp genes as putative markers for increasing the efficiency of atypical EAEC diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regiane C B Dias
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo H S Tanabe
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Melissa A Vieira
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Tânia A T Gomes
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP-EPM), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Waldir P Elias
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo T Hernandes
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo, Brazil
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Vieira PCG, Espinoza-Culupú AO, Nepomuceno R, Alves MR, Lebrun I, Elias WP, Ruiz RC. Secreted autotransporter toxin (Sat) induces cell damage during enteroaggregative Escherichia coli infection. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228959. [PMID: 32084148 PMCID: PMC7034920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Secreted autotransporter toxin (Sat) is a 107-kDa serine protease autotransporter of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) presenting cytotoxic activity in renal and bladder cells. Further studies have detected the Sat-encoding gene (sat) in enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) and in E. coli strains isolated from neonatal septicemia and meningitis. Here, we investigated the role of Sat as a cytotoxin of EAEC. Sat was purified from a strain of E. coli harboring sat (DEC/Sat+, O126:H2) and used to raise antibodies in rabbit. The presence of Sat was detected by ELISA in the supernatant of 93.7% of EAEC strains harboring sat and in none lacking the gene. The effect of Sat during infection was investigated in polarized Caco-2 cells infected with Sat-producing EAEC (CV323/77, O125ab:H21). This strain induced intense cell detachment, which was inhibited by PMSF or Sat antiserum. Also, sat transcription and Sat production were detected during infection. Here we demonstrate that Sat is internalized in polarized cells leading to F-actin disruption which preceded cell detachment. A comparative study of the toxin action in cell lines corresponding to the infection sites in which bacteria carrying the sat gene have been isolated was performed. Cells originating from the gastrointestinal tract (Caco-2), urinary (LLC-PK1) and endothelium (HUVEC) were incubated with purified Sat. The time required for observation of cell damage differed according to the cell line. HUVEC cells were more sensitive to Sat than cells derived from urinary and intestinal tracts. The intense activity of Sat on the endothelial cells suggests that Sat could also be a virulence factor for the bacteria in the bloodstream. In addition, this is the first work demonstrating that Sat induces cytotoxic effect during EAEC infection in vitro. The cell damage observed during infection indicates that Sat may be another toxin with cytotoxic role in the EAEC pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Marina R. Alves
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ivo Lebrun
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biofísica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Waldir P. Elias
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rita C. Ruiz
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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36
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Freire CA, Santos ACM, Pignatari AC, Silva RM, Elias WP. Serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATEs) are largely distributed among Escherichia coli isolated from the bloodstream. Braz J Microbiol 2020; 51:447-454. [PMID: 31965549 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-020-00224-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is the major cause of Gram-negative-related sepsis. Bacterial survival in the bloodstream is mediated by a variety of virulence traits, including those mediating immune system evasion. Serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) constitute a superfamily of virulence factors that can cause tissue damage and cleavage of molecules of the complement system, which is a key feature for the establishment of infection in the bloodstream. In this study, we analyzed 278 E. coli strains isolated from human bacteremia from inpatients of both genders, different ages, and clinical conditions. These strains were screened for the presence of SPATE-encoding genes as well as for phylogenetic classification and intrinsic virulence of ExPEC. SPATE-encoding genes were detected in 61.2% of the strains and most of these strains (44.6%) presented distinct SPATE-encoding gene profiles. sat was the most frequent gene among the entire collection, found in 34.2%, followed by vat (28.4%), pic (8.3%), and tsh (4.7%). Although in low frequencies, espC (0.7%), eatA (1.1%), and espI (1.1%) were detected and are being reported for the first time in extraintestinal isolates. The presence of SPATE-encoding genes was positively associated to phylogroup B2 and intrinsic virulent strains. These findings suggest that SPATEs are highly prevalent and involved in diverse steps of the pathogenesis of bacteremia caused by E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia A Freire
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil 1500, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina M Santos
- Disciplina de Microbiologia, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Antonio C Pignatari
- Laboratório Especial de Microbiologia Clínica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rosa M Silva
- Disciplina de Microbiologia, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Waldir P Elias
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil 1500, São Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil.
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Nüesch-Inderbinen M, Käppeli N, Morach M, Eicher C, Corti S, Stephan R. Molecular types, virulence profiles and antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli causing bovine mastitis. Vet Rec Open 2019; 6:e000369. [PMID: 31897302 PMCID: PMC6924703 DOI: 10.1136/vetreco-2019-000369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Escherichia coli is an important aetiological agent of bovine mastitis worldwide. Methods In this study, 82 E. coli from bovine mastitis milk samples from 49 farms were analysed for their genetic diversity using phylogenetic grouping and multilocus sequence typing. The isolates were examined by PCR for a selection of virulence factors (VFs). Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were assessed using the disk diffusion method. Results The most prevalent phylogroups were group B1 (41.5 per cent of the isolates) and group A (30.5 per cent). A variety of 35 different sequence types (STs) were identified, including ST1125 (11 per cent), ST58 (9.8 per cent), ST10 (8.5 per cent) and ST88 (7.3 per cent). Aggregate VF scores (the number of unique VFs detected for each isolate) ranged from 1 to 3 for 63.4 per cent of the isolates and were at least 4 for 12.2 per cent. For 24.4 per cent of the isolates, the score was 0. The three most frequent VFs were traT, fyuA and iutA. The majority (72 per cent) of the isolates harboured traT. The majority (68.3 per cent) of the isolates were fully susceptible to all antimicrobials tested, with 22 per cent resistant to ampicillin and 14.6 per cent to tetracycline. Resistance rates were low for gentamicin (3.7 per cent), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (2.4 per cent) and ceftiofur (1.2 per cent), respectively. Conclusion Among the study's sample population, E. coli strains were genotypically diverse, even in cows from the same farm, although some STs occurred more frequently than others. Susceptibility to clinically relevant compounds remained high.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadine Käppeli
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marina Morach
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Corinne Eicher
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Corti
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger Stephan
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Tanih NF, Bolick DT, Samie A, Nyathi E, Dillingham R, Pinkerton RC, Guerrant RL, Bessong PO. Prevalence of Virulence Genes in Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Isolates from Young Children from Rural South Africa. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019; 101:1027-1033. [PMID: 31516105 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we report on the prevalence of 19 virulence genes in enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) isolates from northern South Africa. Stool samples obtained prospectively from 97 children from 1 to 12 months of age were analyzed, and EAEC isolates were confirmed based on the presence of aaiC or aatA genes. We investigated 177 enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolates for the prevalence of virulence genes using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The chromosomal gene aaiC was detected at higher frequency (48.0%) compared with aatA (26.0%). The gene encoding the open reading frame Orf61 was the most prevalent putative virulence trait detected among the isolates (150/177; 84.7%). None of the genes was statistically associated with diarrhea (P > 0.05). Detection rates were higher during 7-12 month of life with an association observed for the pic gene and the age group 7-12 months (P = 0.04). Winter was the season with the highest detection rates. Our data reveal a high prevalence of Orf61, Orf3, and astA in South African EAEC isolates. Specific genes may provide additional markers for the study of disease associations with age and season of sample collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoline F Tanih
- Department of Microbiology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - David T Bolick
- Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Amidou Samie
- Department of Microbiology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Emanuel Nyathi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Rebecca Dillingham
- Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Relana C Pinkerton
- Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Richard L Guerrant
- Center for Global Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Pascal O Bessong
- Department of Microbiology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
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Boisen N, Melton-Celsa AR, Hansen AM, Zangari T, Smith MA, Russo LM, Scheutz F, O'Brien AD, Nataro JP. The Role of the AggR Regulon in the Virulence of the Shiga Toxin-Producing Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Epidemic O104:H4 Strain in Mice. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1824. [PMID: 31456767 PMCID: PMC6700298 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
An O104:H4 Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strain caused a large outbreak of bloody diarrhea and the hemolytic uremic syndrome in 2011. We previously developed an ampicillin (Amp)-treated C57BL/6 mouse model to measure morbidity (weight loss) and mortality of mice orally infected with the prototype Stx-EAEC strain C227-11. Here, we hypothesized that mice fed C227-11 cured of the pAA plasmid or deleted for individual genes on that plasmid would display reduced virulence compared to animals given the wild-type (wt) strain. C227-11 cured of the pAA plasmid or deleted for the known pAA-encoded virulence genes aggR, aggA, sepA, or aar were fed to Amp-treated C57BL/6 mice at doses of 1010–1011CFU. Infected animals were then either monitored for morbidity and lethality for 28 days or euthanized to determine intestinal pathology and colonization levels at selected times. The pAA-cured, aggR, and aggA mutants of strain C227-11 all showed reduced colonization at various intestinal sites. However, the aggR mutant was the only mutant attenuated for virulence as it showed both reduced morbidity and mortality. The aar mutant showed increased expression of the aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF) and caused greater systemic effects in infected mice when compared to the C227-11 wt strain. However, unexpectedly, both the aggA and aar mutants displayed increased weight loss compared to wt. The sepA mutant did not exhibit altered morbidity or mortality in the Amp-treated mouse model compared to wt. Our data suggest that the increased morbidity due to the aar mutant could possibly be via an effect on expression of an as yet unknown virulence-associated factor under AggR control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Boisen
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Angela R Melton-Celsa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Anne-Marie Hansen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Tonia Zangari
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mark A Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Lisa M Russo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Flemming Scheutz
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alison D O'Brien
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - James P Nataro
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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QseC Signaling in the Outbreak O104:H4 Escherichia coli Strain Combines Multiple Factors during Infection. J Bacteriol 2019; 201:JB.00203-19. [PMID: 31235511 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00203-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) from the O104:H4 specific serotype caused a large outbreak of bloody diarrhea with some complicated cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) in Europe in 2011. The outbreak strain consisted in an EAEC capable to produce the Shiga toxin (Stx) subtype 2a, a characteristic from enterohemorrhagic E. coli QseBC two-component system detects AI-3/Epi/NE and mediates the chemical signaling between pathogen and mammalian host. This system coordinates a cascade of virulence genes expression in important human enteropathogens. The blocking of QseC of EAEC C227-11 (Stx+) strain by N-phenyl-4-{[(phenylamino) thioxomethyl]amino}-benzenesulfonamide (also known as LED209) in vivo demonstrated a lower efficiency of colonization. The periplasmic protein VisP, which is related to survival mechanisms in a colitis model of infection, bacterial membrane maintenance, and stress resistance, here presented high levels of expression during the initial infection within the host. Under acid stress conditions, visP expression levels were differentiated in an Stx-dependent way. Together, these results emphasize the important role of VisP and the histidine kinase sensor QseC in the C227-11 (Stx+) outbreak strain for the establishment of the infectious niche process in the C57BL/6 mouse model and of LED209 as a promising antivirulence drug strategy against these enteric pathogens.IMPORTANCE EAEC is a remarkable etiologic agent of acute and persistent diarrhea worldwide. The isolates harbor specific subsets of virulence genes and their pathogenesis needs to be better understood. Chemical signaling via histidine kinase sensor QseC has been shown as a potential target to elucidate the orchestration of the regulatory cascade of virulence factors.
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da Silva CR, Sanches MS, Macedo KH, Dambrozio AML, da Rocha SPD, Navarro A, Pelayo JS. Molecular and phenotypic characterization of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from groundwater in rural areas in southern Brazil. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2019; 17:597-608. [PMID: 31313997 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2019.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Water-borne diseases like diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC)-induced gastroenteritis are major public health problems in developing countries. In this study, the microbiological quality of water from mines and shallow wells was analyzed for human consumption. Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of DEC strains was performed. A total of 210 water samples was analyzed, of which 153 (72.9%) contained total coliforms and 96 (45.7%) E. coli. Of the E. coli isolates, 27 (28.1%) contained DEC genes. The DEC isolates included 48.1% Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), 29.6% enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), 14.9% enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), 3.7% enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), and 3.7% enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). All the STECs had cytotoxic effects on Vero cells and 14.8% of the DEC isolates were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. All DEC formed biofilms and 92.6% adhered to HEp-2 cells with a prevalence of aggregative adhesion (74%). We identified 25 different serotypes. One EPEC isolate was serotype O44037:H7, reported for the first time in Brazil. Phylogenetically, 63% of the strains belonged to group B1. The analyzed waters were potential reservoirs for DEC and could act as a source for infection of humans. Preventive measures are needed to avoid such contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Rodrigues da Silva
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 10.011, CEP 86.057-970, Londrina, PR, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Matheus Silva Sanches
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 10.011, CEP 86.057-970, Londrina, PR, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Kawana Hiromori Macedo
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 10.011, CEP 86.057-970, Londrina, PR, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Angélica Marim Lopes Dambrozio
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 10.011, CEP 86.057-970, Londrina, PR, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Sergio Paulo Dejato da Rocha
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 10.011, CEP 86.057-970, Londrina, PR, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Armando Navarro
- Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico
| | - Jacinta Sanchez Pelayo
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Campus Universitário, Caixa Postal 10.011, CEP 86.057-970, Londrina, PR, Brazil E-mail:
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The current review is to update the results on epidemiology, pathobiology, and genes related to virulence, clinical presentation, molecular diagnosis, antimicrobial resistance, and extraintestinal infection of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC). RECENT FINDINGS EAEC subclinical infection was significantly associated with reduced length at 2 years of age and EAEC and coinfections were associated with reduced delta weight-for-length and weight-for-age z-scores in the first 6 months of age in the MAL-ED birth cohort study. EAEC was associated with malnutrition in children 6-24 months of age in prospective case-control studies in Bangladesh and Brazil. Virulence gene-based studies have suggested aggregative fimbriae II may be a major contributor to disease, whereas AggR-activated regulator a marker of less severe disease. The high ability of EAEC colonization likely exacerbates effects of other microbial virulence strategies. Molecular diagnosis has been useful for understanding EAEC burden, although different criteria may relate to different pathogenic outcomes. SUMMARY EAEC gained special interest in the past few years, especially due to association with growth decrements in children with subclinical infections and its important role as a copathogen. Understanding of EAEC pathogenesis advanced but further research is needed for elucidating both microbial and host factors influencing infection outcomes.
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Sethuvel DPM, Anandan S, Michael JS, Murugan D, Neeravi A, Verghese VP, Walia K, Veeraraghavan B. Virulence gene profiles of Shigella species isolated from stool specimens in India: its association with clinical manifestation and antimicrobial resistance. Pathog Glob Health 2019; 113:173-179. [PMID: 31221039 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2019.1632062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Shigella is the major cause of bacillary dysentery worldwide, especially in developing countries. There are several virulence factors essential for the organism to be virulent which are generally present in the virulence plasmid and on chromosomal pathogenicity islands. The present study was undertaken to determine the virulence gene profile of Shigella spp isolated from a clinical specimen and to study their significant association with common clinical symptoms and antimicrobial resistance. Sixty Shigella whole genome sequences, including 22 S. flexneri, 14 S. sonnei, 17 S. boydii and 7 S. dysenteriae were analyzed for the presence of virulence genes. The gene found predominantly in this study were ipaH (90%) followed by sigA (83%), and lpfA (78%) respectively. The virulence genes were significantly higher in S. flexneri, particularly in serotype 2 compared to S. sonnei. Interestingly, a significant association was observed between sigA gene and fever whereas sepA and sigA were found to be associated with diarrhea. Among the studied Shigella isolates, the presence of virulence genes was found higher in isolates resistant to more than three antibiotic classes. The present work revealed the varying incidence of virulence determinants among different Shigella serogroups and shows their contribution to disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shalini Anandan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College , Vellore , India
| | - Joy Sarojini Michael
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College , Vellore , India
| | - Dhivya Murugan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College , Vellore , India
| | - Ayyanraj Neeravi
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College , Vellore , India
| | | | - Kamini Walia
- Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research , New Delhi , India
| | - Balaji Veeraraghavan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College , Vellore , India
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Mostafavi SKS, Najar‐Peerayeh S, Mobarez AM, Parizi MK. Characterization of uropathogenic
E. coli
O25b‐B2‐ST131, O15:K52:H1, and CGA: Neutrophils apoptosis, serum bactericidal assay, biofilm formation, and virulence typing. J Cell Physiol 2019; 234:18272-18282. [DOI: 10.1002/jcp.28459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Shahin Najar‐Peerayeh
- Department of Bacteriology Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University Tehran Iran
| | | | - Mehdi Kardoust Parizi
- Department of Urology Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
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Virulence-Related Genes and Coenteropathogens Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infections in Children from the Brazilian Semiarid Region: a Case-Control Study of Diarrhea. J Clin Microbiol 2019; 57:JCM.01777-18. [PMID: 30728193 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01777-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a major cause of diarrhea in children from developing countries and presents high genetic variability. We aimed to characterize the EPEC virulence-related gene (VRG) distribution and copathogens associated with diarrhea and nutrition-related outcomes in children from the low-income Brazilian semiarid region. A cross-sectional case-control study of diarrhea was conducted in 1,191 children aged 2 to 36 months from the northeast region of Brazil. Stool samples were collected and clinical, epidemiological, and anthropometric data were identified from each child. A broad molecular evaluation of enteropathogens was performed, and EPEC-positive samples were further investigated for 18 VRGs using five multiplex PCRs. EPEC was detected in 28.2% of the study population, with similar proportions among cases and controls. Typical EPEC (tEPEC) infections were more often associated with diarrhea than atypical EPEC (aEPEC) infections, while aEPEC infections presented a higher prevalence. The VRG ler, a negative regulator of the locus of enterocyte effacement, was associated with the absence of diarrhea in aEPEC-positive children; espB, a major component of the type 3 secretion system, was associated with diarrhea in tEPEC-positive children; the presence of procolonization VRGs-the combination of cesT positivity, espP negativity, and the presence of the map gene-was associated with undernutrition; and Campylobacter spp., norovirus, and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) coinfections were associated with increased clinical severity in EPEC-infected children. These data identified tEPEC strains associated with diarrhea and specific VRGs of EPEC (ler, espB, cesT, and map genes) and Campylobacter spp., norovirus, and EAEC to be major contributors to diarrhea and undernutrition in children from a low-income Brazilian region.
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Whole-Genome Sequences of Escherichia coli Isolates from Cocoa Beans Imported from Bolivia. Microbiol Resour Announc 2019; 8:MRA01516-18. [PMID: 30687837 PMCID: PMC6346169 DOI: 10.1128/mra.01516-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Four Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from a batch of cocoa beans imported from Bolivia. The cocoa beans were rejected by a U.S. Four Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from a batch of cocoa beans imported from Bolivia. The cocoa beans were rejected by a U.S. chocolate manufacturer due to poor microbiological quality. The four isolates were whole-genome sequenced and the sequences analyzed to identify genotypes, serotypes, and virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes.
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Bamidele O, Jiang ZD, Dupont H. Occurrence of putative virulence-related genes, aatA, aggR and aaiC, of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) among adults with travelers' diarrhea acquired in Guatemala and Mexico. Microb Pathog 2018; 128:97-99. [PMID: 30579944 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Enteroaggregative E. coli strains are important causes of diarrhea worldwide and are the second most important bacterial cause of travelers' diarrhea (TD). Pathogenicity of EAEC is not completely understood. We investigated the occurrence of putative virulence related genes (VRG), aatA, aggR and aaiC, in a nested case-control study of a cohort of US travelers >18 years of age, visited either Guatemala or Mexico. Fecal samples were collected between 2008 and 2012 from patients with TD from whom a HEp-2 cell adherent EAEC strain was identified (Cases) and from healthy subjects in the same locale without diarrhea from whom enteric pathogens were not isolated (Controls). Thirty-one subjects with acquired TD at destination was compared with 32 healthy controls. aaiC was the most expressed virulence related gene in 21 (67.7%) cases vs. 2 (6.3%) controls, (P < 0.000). aggR was found in 18 (58.1%) cases vs. 1 (3.1%) control, (P < 0.000). aatA in 9 (29.0%) cases vs. 1 (3.1%) control (P < 0.006). With genes combined, aaiC+aggR were seen together in 18 (58.1%) cases vs. 1 (3.1%) control (P < 0.000); aaiC+aatA were identified in 9 (29.0%) cases vs. 1 (3.1%) control (P < 0.006); aggR+aatA were present in 9 (29.0%) cases vs. 1 (3.1%) control, (P < 0.006). All three putative genes, aaiC+aggR+aatA were found in 9 (29.0%) cases vs. 1 (3.1%) control, (P < 0.006). The PCR products showed that aaiC, aggR, and aatA occurred in higher frequency and were more commonly associated with EAEC in cases of TD acquired in the two countries of study, as compared to controls. aaiC was found in all cases from Guatemala. Further research is needed to study geographic and host factors in EAEC-causing travelers' diarrhea.
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Brilhante M, Perreten V, Donà V. Multidrug resistance and multivirulence plasmids in enterotoxigenic and hybrid Shiga toxin-producing/enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from diarrheic pigs in Switzerland. Vet J 2018; 244:60-68. [PMID: 30825896 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Enterovirulent Escherichia coli infections cause significant losses in the pig industry. However, information about the structures of the virulence and multidrug resistance (MDR) plasmids harboured by these strains is sparse. In this study, we used whole-genome sequencing with PacBio and Illumina platforms to analyse the molecular features of the multidrug-resistant enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strain 14OD0056 and the multidrug-resistant hybrid Shiga toxin-producing/enterotoxigenic E. coli (STEC/ETEC) strain 15OD0495 isolated from diarrheic pigs in Switzerland. Strain 14OD0056 possessed three virulence plasmids similar to others previously found in ETEC strains, while 15OD0495 harboured a 119-kb multivirulence IncFII/IncX1 hybrid STEC/ETEC plasmid (p15ODTXV) that co-carried virulence genes of both ETEC and STEC pathotypes, confirming the key role of plasmids in the emergence of hybrid pathotypes. All resistance genes of 14OD0056 that conferred resistance to ampicillin (blaTEM-1b), gentamicin (aac(3)-IIa), kanamycin (aph(3')-Ia), sulfonamide (sul1 and sul2), streptomycin (aph(3″)-Ib, aph(6)-Id), tetracycline (tet(B)) and trimethoprim (dfrA1) were identified on a single 207-kb conjugative MDR plasmid of incompatibility group (Inc) IncHI1/IncFIA (p14ODMR). Strain 15OD0495 carried two antimicrobial resistance plasmids (p15ODAR and p15ODMR). The 99-kb IncI1 plasmid p15ODAR harboured only aminoglycoside resistance genes (aac(3)-IIa, aph(3″)-Ib, aph(6)-Id, aph(4)-Ia), whilst the 49-kb IncN MDR plasmid p15ODMR carried genes conferring resistance to ampicillin (blaTEM-1b), sulfonamide (sul2), streptomycin (aph(6)-Id), tetracycline (tet(A)) and trimethoprim (dfrA14). Filter mating assays showed that p14ODMR, p15ODMR and p15ODAR were conjugative at room temperature and 37°C. The co-localization of multiple resistance genes on MDR conjugative plasmids such as p14ODMR and p15ODMR poses the risk of simultaneous selection of several resistance traits during empirical treatment. Thus, preventive strategies and targeted therapy following antibiotic susceptibility testing should be encouraged to avoid further dissemination of such plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Brilhante
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - V Perreten
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - V Donà
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Temporal Variability of Escherichia coli Diversity in the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Tanzanian Children with and without Exposure to Antibiotics. mSphere 2018; 3:3/6/e00558-18. [PMID: 30404930 PMCID: PMC6222053 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00558-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This study increases the number of resident Escherichia coli genome sequences, and explores E. coli diversity through longitudinal sampling. We investigate the genomes of E. coli isolated from human gastrointestinal tracts as part of an antibiotic treatment program among rural Tanzanian children. Phylogenomics demonstrates that resident E. coli are diverse, even within a single host. Though the E. coli isolates of the gastrointestinal community tend to be phylogenomically similar at a given time, they differed across the interrogated time points, demonstrating the variability of the members of the E. coli community in these subjects. Exposure to antibiotic treatment did not have an apparent impact on the E. coli community or the presence of resistance and virulence genes within E. coli genomes. The findings of this study highlight the variable nature of specific bacterial members of the human gastrointestinal tract. The stability of the Escherichia coli populations in the human gastrointestinal tract is not fully appreciated, and represents a significant knowledge gap regarding gastrointestinal community structure, as well as resistance to incoming pathogenic bacterial species and antibiotic treatment. The current study examines the genomic content of 240 Escherichia coli isolates from 30 children, aged 2 to 35 months old, in Tanzania. The E. coli strains were isolated from three time points spanning a six-month time period, with and without antibiotic treatment. The resulting isolates were sequenced, and the genomes compared. The findings in this study highlight the transient nature of E. coli strains in the gastrointestinal tract of these children, as during a six-month interval, no one individual contained phylogenomically related isolates at all three time points. While the majority of the isolates at any one time point were phylogenomically similar, most individuals did not contain phylogenomically similar isolates at more than two time points. Examination of global genome content, canonical E. coli virulence factors, multilocus sequence type, serotype, and antimicrobial resistance genes identified diversity even among phylogenomically similar strains. There was no apparent increase in the antimicrobial resistance gene content after antibiotic treatment. The examination of the E. coli from longitudinal samples from multiple children in Tanzania provides insight into the genomic diversity and population variability of resident E. coli within the rapidly changing environment of the gastrointestinal tract of these children. IMPORTANCE This study increases the number of resident Escherichia coli genome sequences, and explores E. coli diversity through longitudinal sampling. We investigate the genomes of E. coli isolated from human gastrointestinal tracts as part of an antibiotic treatment program among rural Tanzanian children. Phylogenomics demonstrates that resident E. coli are diverse, even within a single host. Though the E. coli isolates of the gastrointestinal community tend to be phylogenomically similar at a given time, they differed across the interrogated time points, demonstrating the variability of the members of the E. coli community in these subjects. Exposure to antibiotic treatment did not have an apparent impact on the E. coli community or the presence of resistance and virulence genes within E. coli genomes. The findings of this study highlight the variable nature of specific bacterial members of the human gastrointestinal tract.
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Haarmann N, Berger M, Kouzel IU, Mellmann A, Berger P. Comparative virulence characterization of the Shiga toxin phage-cured Escherichia coli O104:H4 and enteroaggregative Escherichia coli. Int J Med Microbiol 2018; 308:912-920. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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