New Findings in Veterinary Microbiology

New Findings in Veterinary Microbiology

Plasmid Replicon Typing and Comparison with Virulent Strains of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates in Animal Sources

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Nemati 1
Mahdi Askari Badouei 2
GholamReza HashemiTabar 3
1 PhD Student in Bacteriology, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
10.22034/nfvm.2024.434828.1222
Abstract
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are responsible for severe human diseases, such as hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Controlling infections associated with STEC poses a significant challenge, particularly in the timely tracking and identification of pathogenic strains in environmental, food, and clinical samples. Currently, the detection protocols in the European Union (ISO/TS 13136) and the United States (MLG5B.05) rely on the genes stx and eae, along with specific serogroup-associated genes. Here, we investigated various replicons and compared them with major pathogenic serogroups and stx2-positive strains to identify crucial replicons that can potentially harbor virulence genes, overcoming the limitations of ISO/TS 13136 and MLG5B.05 methodologies by focusing on the virulence genes encoded on these plasmids as alternative markers. Ninety-six STEC isolates from various animal hosts were subjected to single and multiplex PCR assays. Among the 82 STEC strains carrying plasmids, the prevalence of different replicons, including FIB (69/82, 84.1%), K/B (21/82, 25.6%), B/O (11/82, 13.4%), P (8/82, 9.8%), Y (6/82, 7.3%), FIA (3/82, 3.7%), I1 (3/82, 3.7%), and L/M (1/82, 1.2%), was determined. While the frequency of FIB plasmids was notable, an association between pathogenic STEC strains and K/B plasmids was observed. Most STEC isolates carrying the stx2 + eae + ehxA gene pattern were associated with K/B replicon. The study suggests examining the correlation between plasmid types and stx2 gene subtypes and determining the genetic content of these plasmids to assess virulence and identify potential genetic markers.

Subjects

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New Findings in Veterinary Microbiology
Volume 7, Issue 1
May 2024
Pages 97-110

  • Receive Date 09 January 2024
  • Revise Date 03 February 2024
  • Accept Date 11 May 2024