Pathogenic and phylogenetic characteristics of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from retail meats in South Korea
10.4142/jvs.2018.19.2.251
- Author:
June Bong LEE
1
;
Dalmuri HAN
;
Hyung Tae LEE
;
Seon Mi WI
;
Jeong Hoon PARK
;
Jung Woo JO
;
Young Jae CHO
;
Tae Wook HAHN
;
Sunjin LEE
;
Byunghak KANG
;
Hyo Sun KWAK
;
Jonghyun KIM
;
Jang Won YOON
Author Information
1. College of Veterinary Medicine & Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea. jwy706@kangwon.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Korea;
Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli;
retail meat;
sequence type;
virulence factors
- MeSH:
Cytotoxins;
Enterocytes;
Escherichia coli;
Genomic Islands;
Humans;
Korea;
Meat;
Population Characteristics;
Red Meat;
Shiga Toxin;
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli;
Virulence;
Virulence Factors
- From:Journal of Veterinary Science
2018;19(2):251-259
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Herein, we report the pathogenic and phylogenetic characteristics of seven Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates from 434 retail meats collected in Korea during 2006 to 2012. The experimental analyses revealed that all isolates (i) were identified as non-O157 STEC, including O91:H14 (3 isolates), O121:H10 (2 isolates), O91:H21 (1 isolate), and O18:H20 (1 isolate), (ii) carried diverse Stx subtype genes (stx₁, stx(2c), stx(2e), or stx₁ + stx(2b)) whose expression levels varied strain by strain, and (iii) lacked the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island, a major virulence factor of STEC, but they possessed one or more alternative virulence genes encoding cytotoxins (Cdt and SubAB) and/or adhesins (Saa, Iha, and EcpA). Notably, a significant heterogeneity in glutamate-induced acid resistance was observed among the STEC isolates (p < 0.05). In addition, phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that all three STEC O91:H14 isolates were categorized into sequence type (ST) 33, of which two beef isolates were identical in their pulsotypes. Similar results were observed with two O121:H10 pork isolates (ST641; 88.2% similarity). Interestingly, 96.0% of the 100 human STEC isolates collected in Korea during 2003 to 2014 were serotyped as O91:H14, and the ST33 lineage was confirmed in approximately 72.2% (13/18 isolates) of human STEC O91:H14 isolates from diarrheal patients.
