Genetic features of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from clinical cases of Argentina and Chile.

We aimed to compare the genetic diversity existing in VTEC O157:H7 strains isolated from cases of human disease from Argentina and Chile. For it, 76 strains were studied in relation to the distribution of genes encoding virulence factors and subtyped by lineage-specific polymorphisms (LSPA-6), and phylogroups assignment. Our results show the almost exclusive circulation of VTEC O157:H7 isolates belonging to lineage I/II, associated with hypervirulent strains, and to the phylogroup E and, on the other hand, genetic diversity present among Argentinean and Chilean strains analyzed, mainly in relation to putative virulence determinants and nle profiles.

Virulence genes and genetic diversity assessment of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O91 strains from cattle, beef and poultry products.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O91 has ranked in the top five of the non-O157 serogroups most frequently associated with human cases. In order to gain insight into the genetic diversity of O91 Latin American STEC strains, we analyzed their virulence properties and carried out a subtyping assay. A panel of 21 virulence genetic markers associated with human and animal infections was evaluated and the relatedness among strains was determined by a multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) comprising 9 VNTR loci. Twenty-two STEC O91 isolated from cattle and meat food and belonging to 5 serotypes (O91:H21, O91:H8, O91:H14, O91:H28, O91:H40) were studied. Eight virulence profiles were obtained for the O91 STEC strains: 4 for O91:H21 plus one for O91:H8, O91:H14, O91:H28 and O91:H40. All strains contained ehxA and lpfA0113 genes and only both stx1-positive strains lacked saa, which encodes the STEC autoagglutinating adhesin. Other genes involved in adhesion were detected: ehaA (91%), elfA and espP (86%), ecpA (82%) and, hcpA (77%). The gene encoding the cytolethal distending toxin type-V (CDT-V) was found only in O91:H8 and O91:H21, being present in the majority (89%) of strains of this last serotype. MLVA typing divided the total number of strains into 12 genotypes, and 9 of them were unique to a single strain. No association was observed between the virulence profiles and the source of the strains. Although they lack the eae gene, most of the strains have the genetic potential to adhere to host cells through other structures and possess cdt-V, which has been found in STEC strains involved in serious diseases. The MLVA showed clonal relatedness among strains isolated from cattle belonged to a same dairy farm and suggested that the same clone remains circulating throughout the year and, on the other hand, the need to increase the number of VNTR loci which could allow a higher discrimination among O91:H21 isolates.

Erratum: Jimena Soledad Cadona, et al.; Pathogenicity Islands Distribution in Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Genes 2018, 9, 81.

We wish to make the following correction to the paper by Soledad-Cadona et al.[...].

Virulence traits and different nle profiles in cattle and human verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains from Argentina.

Verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) O157:H7 is the dominant serotype isolated from patients with HUS and, Argentina has the highest rate of HUS in the world. Molecular typing had allowed to identify subpopulations related to the origin and virulence of O157:H7 strains. Our aim was to perform a genetic characterization of 43 O157:H7 strains isolated in Argentine mostly from cattle and humans in order to establish the potential public health risk. For it, we used a combination of molecular subtyping methods in order to identify clade 8_rhsA (C3468G), LSPA-6 and virulence profiles and, a cytotoxicity assay on Vero cell. All isolates carried the clade 8 SNP variant and 98% of them belonged to lineage I/II (2% lineage II). Isolates were grouped into eleven nle profiles, 46% were positive for all nle genes, while the remaining isolates, except two, showed incomplete OI-71, particularly lacked nleF. All isolates showed the plasmid profile ehxA-espP-katP-stcE and harbored ehaA, elfA, iha and lpfA variants lpfA1-3 and lpfA2-2 and, ECSP_0242. The frequencies of the remaining ECSP genes were 95% ECSP_2687, 88% ECSP_3286, 86% ECSP_3620, 53% ECSP_2870/2872 and 44% ECSP_1733. All O157:H7 strains, except the isolate identified as lineage II, were cytotoxic on Vero cells. Among Argentinean strains, most genetic markers occur at equal relative frequencies among clinical and bovine isolates, showing diversity mostly in nle genes profiles. The belonging of the isolates to hypervirulent clade 8 and lineage I/II, the high prevalence of nle and putative virulence factors genes, would allow assigning most O157:H7 strains of this region a high risk to public health.