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Emergence of New ST301 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Clones Harboring Extra-Intestinal Virulence Traits in Europe

Authors :
Aurélie Cointe
Etienne Bizot
Sabine Delannoy
Patrick Fach
Philippe Bidet
André Birgy
François-Xavier Weill
Sophie Lefèvre
Patricia Mariani-Kurkdjian
Stéphane Bonacorsi
Source :
Toxins, Vol 13, Iss 10, p 686 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

O80:H2 enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) of sequence type ST301 is one of the main serotypes causing European hemolytic and uremic syndrome, but also invasive infections, due to extra-intestinal virulence factors (VFs). Here, we determined whether other such heteropathotypes exist among ST301. EnteroBase was screened for ST301 strains that were included in a general SNP-phylogeny. French strains belonging to a new heteropathotype clone were sequenced. ST, hierarchical clusters (HC), serotype, resistome, and virulome were determined using EnteroBase, the CGE website, and local BLAST. The ST301 general phylogeny shows two groups. Group A (n = 25) is mainly composed of enteropathogenic E. coli, whereas group B (n = 55) includes mostly EHEC. Three serotypes, O186:H2, O45:H2 and O55:H9, share the same virulome as one of the O80:H2 sub-clones from which they derive subsequent O-antigen switches. The O55:H9 clone, mainly present in France (n = 29), as well as in the UK (n = 5) and Germany (n = 1), has a low background of genetic diversity (four HC20), although it has three Stx subtypes, an H-antigen switch, and genes encoding the major extra-intestinal VF yersiniabactin, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. Diverse heteropathotype clones genetically close to the O80:H2 clone are present among the ST301, requiring close European monitoring, especially the virulent O55:H9 clone.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20726651
Volume :
13
Issue :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Toxins
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.313e1397b1d4a21bfcb063a7ac15c73
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13100686