Find in Library
Search millions of books, articles, and more
Indexed Open Access Databases
Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> Strains from Romania: A Whole Genome-Based Description
oleh: Codruța-Romanița Usein, Mihaela Oprea, Sorin Dinu, Laura-Ioana Popa, Daniela Cristea, Cornelia-Mădălina Militaru, Andreea Ghiță, Mariana Costin, Ionela-Loredana Popa, Anca Croitoru, Cristina Bologa, Lavinia-Cipriana Rusu
Format: | Article |
---|---|
Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2024-07-01 |
Deskripsi
The zoonotic Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) group is unanimously regarded as exceptionally hazardous for humans. This study aimed to provide a genomic perspective on the STEC recovered sporadically from humans and have a foundation of internationally comparable data. Fifty clinical STEC isolates, representing the culture-confirmed infections reported by the STEC Reference Laboratory between 2016 and 2023, were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis and sequences were interpreted using both commercial and public free bioinformatics tools. The WGS analysis revealed a genetically diverse population of STEC dominated by non-O157 serogroups commonly reported in human STEC infections in the European Union. The O26:H11 strains of ST21 lineage played a major role in the clinical disease resulting in hospitalisation and cases of paediatric HUS in Romania surpassing the O157:H7 strains. The latter were all clade 7 and mostly ST1804. Notably, among the Romanian isolates was a <i>stx2a</i>-harbouring cryptic clade I strain associated with a HUS case, <i>stx2f</i>- and <i>stx2e</i>-positive strains, and hybrid strains displaying a mixture of intestinal and extraintestinal virulence genes were found. As a clearer picture emerges of the STEC strains responsible for infections in Romania, further surveillance efforts are needed to uncover their prevalence, sources, and reservoirs.