1
|
Izquierdo-Vega JA, Castillo-Juarez RJ, Sánchez-Gutiérrez M, Ares MA, De La Cruz MA. A Mini-Review of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli with a Specific Target on the Virulence Factors Controlled by the AggR Master Regulator. Pol J Microbiol 2023; 72:347-354. [PMID: 37875068 PMCID: PMC10725161 DOI: 10.33073/pjm-2023-037] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strains have been linked to several outbreaks of severe diarrhea around the world, and this bacterium is now commonly resistant to antibiotics. As part of the pathophysiology of EAEC, the characteristic pattern of adherence looks like stacked bricks on the intestinal epithelium. This phenotype depends on an aggregative adhesion plasmid (pAA), which codes for a regulatory protein named AggR. The AggR protein is a master regulator that transcriptionally actives the main virulence genes in this E. coli pathotype, such as those that encode the aggregative adhesion fimbriae, dispersin and its secretion apparatus, Aar regulatory protein, and type VI secretion system. Several reports have shown that AggR positively affects most EAEC virulence genes, functioning as a classic transcriptional activator in the promoter region of these genes, interacting with the RNA polymerase. This minireview article integrates the information about virulence determinants of EAEC controlled by the AggR regulator.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Miguel A. Ares
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, México
- Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México City, México
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Safar HA, Alatar F, Nasser K, Al-Ajmi R, Alfouzan W, Mustafa AS. The impact of applying various de novo assembly and correction tools on the identification of genome characterization, drug resistance, and virulence factors of clinical isolates using ONT sequencing. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:26. [PMID: 37525145 PMCID: PMC10391896 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00797-3] [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: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology (ONT) is currently widely used due to its affordability, simplicity, and reliability. Despite the advantage ONT has over next-generation sequencing in detecting resistance genes in mobile genetic elements, its relatively high error rate (10-15%) is still a deterrent. Several bioinformatic tools are freely available for raw data processing and obtaining complete and more accurate genome assemblies. In this study, we evaluated the impact of using mix-and-matched read assembly (Flye, Canu, Wtdbg2, and NECAT) and read correction (Medaka, NextPolish, and Racon) tools in generating complete and accurate genome assemblies, and downstream genomic analysis of nine clinical Escherichia coli isolates. Flye and Canu assemblers were the most robust in genome assembly, and Medaka and Racon correction tools significantly improved assembly parameters. Flye functioned well in pan-genome analysis, while Medaka increased the number of core genes detected. Flye, Canu, and NECAT assembler functioned well in detecting antimicrobial resistance genes (AMR), while Wtdbg2 required correction tools for better detection. Flye was the best assembler for detecting and locating both virulence and AMR genes (i.e., chromosomal vs. plasmid). This study provides insight into the performance of several read assembly and read correction tools for analyzing ONT sequencing reads for clinical isolates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hussain A Safar
- OMICS Research Unit, Health Science Centre, Kuwait University, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait
| | - Fatemah Alatar
- Serology and Molecular Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Ministry of Health, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait
| | - Kother Nasser
- Serology and Molecular Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Ministry of Health, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait
| | - Rehab Al-Ajmi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait
| | - Wadha Alfouzan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait
- Microbiology Unit, Farwaniya Hospital, Ministry of Health, Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait
| | - Abu Salim Mustafa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
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.
Collapse
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,
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Freire CA, Rodrigues BO, Elias WP, Abe CM. Adhesin related genes as potential markers for the enteroaggregative Escherichia coli category. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:997208. [DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.997208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an important cause of diarrhea in children and adults worldwide. This pathotype is phenotypically characterized by the aggregative-adherence (AA) pattern in HEp-2 cells and genetically associated to the presence of the aatA gene. EAEC pathogenesis relies in different virulence factors. At least, three types of adhesins have been specifically associated with EAEC strains: the five variants of the aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF), the aggregative forming pilus (AFP) and more recently, a fibrilar adhesin named CS22. Our study aimed to evaluate the presence of AAF, AFP and CS22-related genes among 110 EAEC strains collected from feces of children with diarrhea. The presence of aggR (EAEC virulence regulator) and genes related to AAFs (aggA, aafA, agg3A, agg4A, agg5A and agg3/4C), AFP (afpA1 and afpR) and CS22 (cseA) was detected by PCR, and the adherence patterns were evaluated on HeLa cells. aggR-positive strains comprised 83.6% of the collection; among them, 80.4% carried at least one AAF-related gene and presented the AA pattern. aggA was the most frequent AAF-related gene (28.4% of aggR+ strains). cseA was detected among aggR+ (16.3%) and aggR- strains (22.2%); non-adherent strains or strains presenting AA pattern were observed in both groups. afpR and afpA1 were exclusively detected among aggR- strains (77.8%), most of which (71.4%) also presented AA pattern. Our results indicate that AAF- and AFP-related genes may contribute to identify EAEC strains, while the presence of cseA and its importance as an EAEC virulence factor and genotypic marker needs to be further evaluated.
Collapse
|
5
|
Moran-Garcia N, Lopez-Saucedo C, Becerra A, Meza-Segura M, Hernandez-Cazares F, Guerrero-Baez J, Galindo-Gómez S, Tsutsumi V, Schnoor M, Méndez-Tenorio A, Nataro JP, Estrada-Garcia T. A Novel Adult Murine Model of Typical Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Infection Reveals Microbiota Dysbiosis, Mucus Secretion, and AAF/II-Mediated Expression and Localization of β-Catenin and Expression of MUC1 in Ileum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:885191. [PMID: 35706909 PMCID: PMC9190437 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.885191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Typical enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (tEAEC) is a diarrheagenic E. coli pathotype associated with pediatric and traveler’s diarrhea. Even without diarrhea, EAEC infections in children also lead to increased gut inflammation and growth shortfalls. EAEC strain’s defining phenotype is the aggregative adherence pattern on epithelial cells attributable to the aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF). EAEC only causes diarrhea in humans; therefore, not much is known of the exact intestinal region of infection and damage or its interactions with intestinal enterocytes in vivo and in situ. This study aimed to develop a new tEAEC mouse model of infection, characterize the microbiota of infected mice, and evaluate in situ the expression of host adherence and surface molecules triggering EAEC infection and the role of the EAEC AAF-II in adherence. Six-week-old C57BL/6 mice, without previous antibiotic treatment, were orally challenged with EAEC 042 strain or EAEC 042 AAF-II mutant (ΔAAF/II) strain, or DAEC-MXR strain (diffusely adherent E. coli clinical isolate), and with saline solution (control group). Paraffin sections of the colon and ileum were stained with H&E and periodic acid-Schiff. ZO-1, β-catenin, MUC1, and bacteria were analyzed by immunofluorescence. EAEC-infected mice, in comparison with DAEC-MXR-infected and control mice, significantly lost weight during the first 3 days. After 7 days post-infection, mucus production was increased in the colon and ileum, ZO-1 localization remained unaltered, and morphological alterations were more pronounced in the ileum since increased expression and apical localization of β-catenin in ileal enterocytes were observed. EAEC-infected mice developed dysbiosis 21 days post-infection. At 4 days post-infection, EAEC strain 042 formed a biofilm on ileal villi and increased the expression and apical localization of β-catenin in ileal enterocytes; these effects were not seen in animals infected with the 042 ΔAAF/II strain. At 3 days post-infection, MUC1 expression on ileal enterocytes was mainly detectable among infected mice and colocalized with 042 strains on the enterocyte surface. We developed a novel mouse model of EAEC infection, which mimics human infection, not an illness, revealing that EAEC 042 exerts its pathogenic effects in the mouse ileum and causes dysbiosis. This model is a unique tool to unveil early molecular mechanisms of EAEC infection in vivo and in situ.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adriana Becerra
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mario Meza-Segura
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | | | - Silvia Galindo-Gómez
- Department of Infectomics and Molecular Pathogenesis, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Víctor Tsutsumi
- Department of Infectomics and Molecular Pathogenesis, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Michael Schnoor
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Méndez-Tenorio
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - James P. Nataro
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Teresa Estrada-Garcia
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Teresa Estrada-Garcia,
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Prieto A, Bernabeu M, Sánchez-Herrero JF, Pérez-Bosque A, Miró L, Bäuerl C, Collado C, Hüttener M, Juárez A. Modulation of AggR levels reveals features of virulence regulation in enteroaggregative E. coli. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1295. [PMID: 34785760 PMCID: PMC8595720 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02820-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strains are one of the diarrheagenic pathotypes. EAEC strains harbor a virulence plasmid (pAA2) that encodes, among other virulence determinants, the aggR gene. The expression of the AggR protein leads to the expression of several virulence determinants in both plasmids and chromosomes. In this work, we describe a novel mechanism that influences AggR expression. Because of the absence of a Rho-independent terminator in the 3'UTR, aggR transcripts extend far beyond the aggR ORF. These transcripts are prone to PNPase-mediated degradation. Structural alterations in the 3'UTR result in increased aggR transcript stability, leading to increased AggR levels. We therefore investigated the effect of increased AggR levels on EAEC virulence. Upon finding the previously described AggR-dependent virulence factors, we detected novel AggR-regulated genes that may play relevant roles in EAEC virulence. Mutants exhibiting high AggR levels because of structural alterations in the aggR 3'UTR show increased mobility and increased pAA2 conjugation frequency. Furthermore, among the genes exhibiting increased fold change values, we could identify those of metabolic pathways that promote increased degradation of arginine, fatty acids and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), respectively. In this paper, we discuss how the AggR-dependent increase in specific metabolic pathways activity may contribute to EAEC virulence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Prieto
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Bernabeu
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Anna Pérez-Bosque
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentària, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lluïsa Miró
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentària, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christine Bäuerl
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carmen Collado
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mário Hüttener
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Antonio Juárez
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Soria-Bustos J, Saitz W, Medrano A, Lara-Ochoa C, Bennis Z, Monteiro-Neto V, Dos Santos CI, Rodrigues J, Hernandes RT, Yáñez JA, Torres J, Navarro-García F, Martínez-Laguna Y, Fontes Piazza RM, Munhoz DD, Cedillo ML, Ares MA, De la Cruz MA, Nataro JP, Girón JA. Role of the YehD fimbriae in the virulence-associated properties of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli. Environ Microbiol 2021; 24:1035-1051. [PMID: 34431194 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The interaction of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strains with the colonic gut mucosa is characterized by the ability of the bacteria to form robust biofilms, to bind mucin, and induce a local inflammatory response. These events are mediated by a repertoire of five different aggregative adherence fimbriae variants (AAF/I-V) typically encoded on virulence plasmids. In this study, we report the production in EAEC strains of a new YehD fimbriae (YDF), which is encoded by the chromosomal gene cluster yehABCD, also present in most E. coli strains. Immuno-labelling of EAEC strain 042 with anti-AAF/II and anti-YDF antibodies demonstrated the presence of both AAF/II and YDF on the bacterial surface. We investigated the role of YDF in cell adherence, biofilm formation, colonization of spinach leaves, and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines release. To this aim, we constructed yehD deletion mutants in different EAEC backgrounds (strains 17-2, 042, 55989, C1010, 278-1, J7) each harbouring one of the five AAFs. The effect of the YDF mutation was strain dependent and AAF independent as the lack of YDF had a different impact on the phenotypes manifested by the different EAECs tested. Expression of the yehABCD operon in a E. coli K12 ORN172 showed that YDF is important for biofilm formation but not for adherence to HeLa cells. Lastly, screening of pro-inflammatory cytokines in supernatants of Caco-2 cells infected with EAEC strains 042 and J7 and their isogenic ΔyehD mutants showed that these mutants were significantly defective in release of IL-8 and TNF-α. This study contributes to the understanding of the complex and diverse mechanisms of adherence of EAEC strains and identifies a new potential target for preventive measures of gastrointestinal illness caused by EAEC and other E. coli pathogroups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Soria-Bustos
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.,Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Waleska Saitz
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Abraham Medrano
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Cristina Lara-Ochoa
- Centro de Detección Biomolecular, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Zineb Bennis
- University of Florida, Emerging Pathogens Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Josias Rodrigues
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biociencias da UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo T Hernandes
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biociencias da UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Jorge A Yáñez
- Facultad de Estomatología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Javier Torres
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Fernando Navarro-García
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigaciones Avanzadas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ygnacio Martínez-Laguna
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | | | | | - María L Cedillo
- Centro de Detección Biomolecular, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Miguel A Ares
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Miguel A De la Cruz
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - James P Nataro
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jorge A Girón
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.,Centro de Detección Biomolecular, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Genomic Insights into Drug Resistance and Virulence Platforms, CRISPR-Cas Systems and Phylogeny of Commensal E. coli from Wildlife. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9050999. [PMID: 34063152 PMCID: PMC8148099 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9050999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Commensal bacteria act as important reservoirs of virulence and resistance genes. However, existing data are generally only focused on the analysis of human or human-related bacterial populations. There is a lack of genomic studies regarding commensal bacteria from hosts less exposed to antibiotics and other selective forces due to human activities, such as wildlife. In the present study, the genomes of thirty-eight E. coli strains from the gut of various wild animals were sequenced. The analysis of their accessory genome yielded a better understanding of the role of the mobilome on inter-bacterial dissemination of mosaic virulence and resistance plasmids. The study of the presence and composition of the CRISPR/Cas systems in E. coli from wild animals showed some viral and plasmid sequences among the spacers, as well as the relationship between CRISPR/Cas and E. coli phylogeny. Further, we constructed a single nucleotide polymorphisms-based core tree with E. coli strains from different sources (humans, livestock, food and extraintestinal environments). Bacteria from humans or highly human-influenced settings exhibit similar genetic patterns in CRISPR-Cas systems, plasmids or virulence/resistance genes-carrying modules. These observations, together with the absence of significant genetic changes in their core genome, suggest an ongoing flow of both mobile elements and E. coli lineages between human and natural ecosystems.
Collapse
|
9
|
Chen Z, Erickson DL, Meng J. Benchmarking Long-Read Assemblers for Genomic Analyses of Bacterial Pathogens Using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21239161. [PMID: 33271875 PMCID: PMC7730629 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxford Nanopore sequencing can be used to achieve complete bacterial genomes. However, the error rates of Oxford Nanopore long reads are greater compared to Illumina short reads. Long-read assemblers using a variety of assembly algorithms have been developed to overcome this deficiency, which have not been benchmarked for genomic analyses of bacterial pathogens using Oxford Nanopore long reads. In this study, long-read assemblers, namely Canu, Flye, Miniasm/Racon, Raven, Redbean, and Shasta, were thus benchmarked using Oxford Nanopore long reads of bacterial pathogens. Ten species were tested for mediocre- and low-quality simulated reads, and 10 species were tested for real reads. Raven was the most robust assembler, obtaining complete and accurate genomes. All Miniasm/Racon and Raven assemblies of mediocre-quality reads provided accurate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, while the Raven assembly of Klebsiella variicola with low-quality reads was the only assembly with an accurate AMR profile among all assemblers and species. All assemblers functioned well for predicting virulence genes using mediocre-quality and real reads, whereas only the Raven assemblies of low-quality reads had accurate numbers of virulence genes. Regarding multilocus sequence typing (MLST), Miniasm/Racon was the most effective assembler for mediocre-quality reads, while only the Raven assemblies of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and K. variicola with low-quality reads showed positive MLST results. Miniasm/Racon and Raven were the best performers for MLST using real reads. The Miniasm/Racon and Raven assemblies showed accurate phylogenetic inference. For the pan-genome analyses, Raven was the strongest assembler for simulated reads, whereas Miniasm/Racon and Raven performed the best for real reads. Overall, the most robust and accurate assembler was Raven, closely followed by Miniasm/Racon.
Collapse
|
10
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Shiga Toxin-Producing and Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in Animal, Foods, and Humans: Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Detection Methods, and Epidemiology. Curr Microbiol 2019; 77:612-620. [DOI: 10.1007/s00284-019-01842-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
13
|
Abstract
Plasmids have a major role in the development of disease caused by enteric bacterial pathogens. Virulence plasmids are usually large (>40 kb) low copy elements and encode genes that promote host-pathogen interactions. Although virulence plasmids provide advantages to bacteria in specific conditions, they often impose fitness costs on their host. In this Review, we discuss virulence plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae that are important causes of diarrhoea in humans, Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., Yersinia spp and pathovars of Escherichia coli. We contrast these plasmids with those that are routinely used in the laboratory and outline the mechanisms by which virulence plasmids are maintained in bacterial populations. We highlight examples of virulence plasmids that encode multiple mechanisms for their maintenance (for example, toxin-antitoxin and partitioning systems) and speculate on how these might contribute to their propagation and success.
Collapse
|
14
|
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.
Collapse
|