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Liu Q, Yang X, Sun H, Wang H, Sui X, Zhang P, Bai X, Xiong Y. Genetic Diversity and Expression of Intimin in Escherichia albertii Isolated from Humans, Animals, and Food. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2843. [PMID: 38137987 PMCID: PMC10745426 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122843] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia albertii (E. albertii) is an emerging diarrheagenic pathogen associated with sporadic infections and human gastroenteric outbreaks. The eae gene, which encodes intimin in the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) operon, contributes to the establishment of the attaching and effacing (A/E) lesion. Increasing collection of E. albertii strains from various sources has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of eae subtypes. This study systematically investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of eae among E. albertii strains isolated from humans, animals, and food. The eae gene was present in 452/459 (98.5%) strains and 23 subtypes were identified including two novel subtypes, named eae-α11 and η3. The eae-σ subtype was the most predominant among humans, animals, and food-derived strains, while eae-γ3, τ, and α11 were unique in human-derived strains. Additionally, the LEE island was also analyzed at genomic, transcriptional, and functional levels through genomic analysis, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and HEp-2 cell adherence assays, respectively. The eae transcript levels were variable and associated with eae subtypes. Three different adherence patterns, including localized adherence-like (LAL), diffuse adherence (DA), and detachment (DE), were observed among E. albertii strains. This study demonstrated a high diversity of functional intimin in E. albertii strains isolated from humans, animals, and food. Further in vivo and in vitro studies are warranted to better elucidate the role of intimin or LEE in different genetic backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
| | - Xi Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
| | - Hui Sun
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
| | - Hua Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
| | - Xinxia Sui
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
| | - Peihua Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
| | - Xiangning Bai
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Yanwen Xiong
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China; (Q.L.); (X.Y.); (H.S.); (H.W.); (X.S.); (P.Z.); (X.B.)
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Leszczyńska K, Święcicka I, Daniluk T, Lebensztejn D, Chmielewska-Deptuła S, Leszczyńska D, Gawor J, Kliber M. Escherichia albertii as a Potential Enteropathogen in the Light of Epidemiological and Genomic Studies. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1384. [PMID: 37510288 PMCID: PMC10379040 DOI: 10.3390/genes14071384] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia albertii is a new enteropathogen of humans and animals. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and pathogenicity of E. albertii strains isolated in northeastern Poland using epidemiological and genomic studies. In 2015-2018, a total of 1154 fecal samples from children and adults, 497 bird droppings, 212 food samples, 92 water samples, and 500 lactose-negative E. coli strains were tested. A total of 42 E. albertii strains were isolated. The PCR method was suitable for their rapid identification. In total, 33.3% of E. albertii isolates were resistant to one antibiotic, and 16.7% to two. Isolates were sensitive to cefepime, imipenem, levofloxacin, gentamicin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and did not produce ESBL β-lactamases. High genetic variability of E. albertii has been demonstrated. In the PFGE method, 90.5% of the strains had distinct pulsotypes. In MLST typing, 85.7% of strains were assigned distinct sequence types (STs), of which 64% were novel ST types. Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) and Paa toxin genes were found in 100% of E. albertii isolates. Genes encoding toxins, IbeA, CdtB type 2, Tsh and Shiga (Stx2f), were found in 26.2%, 9.7%, 1.7%, and 0.4% of E. albertii isolates, respectively. The chromosome size of the tested strains ranged from 4,573,338 to 5,141,010 bp (average 4,784,003 bp), and at least one plasmid was present in all strains. The study contributes to a more accurate assessment of the genetic diversity of E. albertii and the potential threat it poses to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Leszczyńska
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Enginnering, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Izabela Święcicka
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Bialystok, ul. Ciołkowskiego 1J, 15-245 Białystok, Poland
| | - Tamara Daniluk
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Enginnering, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Dariusz Lebensztejn
- Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutrition, Allergology and Pulmonology, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Waszyngtona 17, 15-274 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Sylwia Chmielewska-Deptuła
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Enginnering, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Dorota Leszczyńska
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Enginnering, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Jan Gawor
- DNA Sequecing and Synthesis Facility, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Kliber
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Nanobiomedical Enginnering, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Bialystok, Poland
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Bengtsson RJ, Baker KS, Cunningham AA, Greig DR, John SK, Macgregor SK, Seilern-Moy K, Spiro S, Chong CC, De Silva PM, Jenkins C, Lawson B. The genomic epidemiology of Escherichia albertii infecting humans and birds in Great Britain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1707. [PMID: 36973246 PMCID: PMC10043262 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37312-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia albertii is a recently identified gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen of humans and animals which is typically misidentified as pathotypes of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli or Shigella species and is generally only detected during genomic surveillance of other Enterobacteriaceae. The incidence of E. albertii is likely underestimated, and its epidemiology and clinical relevance are poorly characterised. Here, we whole genome sequenced E. albertii isolates from humans (n = 83) and birds (n = 79) isolated in Great Britain between 2000 and 2021 and analysed these alongside a broader public dataset (n = 475) to address these gaps. We found human and avian isolates typically (90%; 148/164) belonged to host-associated monophyletic groups with distinct virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles. Overlaid patient epidemiological data suggested that human infection was likely related to travel and possibly foodborne transmission. The Shiga toxin encoding stx2f gene was associated with clinical disease (OR = 10.27, 95% CI = 2.98-35.45 p = 0.0002) in finches. Our results suggest that improved future surveillance will further elucidate disease ecology and public and animal health risks associated with E. albertii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Bengtsson
- Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kate S Baker
- Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Andrew A Cunningham
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - David R Greig
- Gastrointestinal and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London, UK
| | - Shinto K John
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Shaheed K Macgregor
- Wildlife Health Services, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Katharina Seilern-Moy
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Simon Spiro
- Wildlife Health Services, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Charlotte C Chong
- Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - P Malaka De Silva
- Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Claire Jenkins
- Gastrointestinal and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London, UK
| | - Becki Lawson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
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