Osong Public Health Res Perspect.  2017 Jun;8(3):220-226. 10.24171/j.phrp.2017.8.3.09.

Profiling of Virulence-associated Factors in Shigella Species Isolated from Acute Pediatric Diarrheal Samples in Tehran, Iran

Affiliations
  • 1Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. msoltandallal@gmail.com
  • 2Molecular Biology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • 3Food Microbiology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • 4Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.
  • 5Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
The genus Shigella comprises the most infectious and diarrheagenic bacteria causing severe diseases, mostly in children under five years of age. This study aimed to detect nine virulence genes (ipaBCD, VirA, sen, set1A, set1B, ial, ipaH, stx, and sat) in Shigella species (spp.) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPCR) and to determine the relation of Shigella spp. from pediatric diarrheal samples with hospitalization and bloody diarrhea in Tehran, Iran.
METHODS
Shigella spp. were isolated and identified using standard microbiological and serological methods. The virulence genes were detected using MPCR.
RESULTS
Seventy-five Shigella spp. (40 S. sonnei, 33 S. flexneri, 1 S. dysenteriae, and 1 S. boydii) were isolated in this study. The prevalence of ial, sen, sat, set1A, and set1B was 74.7%, 45.4%, 28%, 24%, and 24%, respectively. All S. flexneri isolates, while no S. sonnei, S. dysenteriae, or S. boydii isolates, contained sat, set1A, and set1B. All isolates were positive for ipaH, ipaBCD, and virA, while one (1.4%) of the isolates contained stx. The highest prevalence of virulence determinants was found in S. flexneri serotype IIa. Nineteen (57.6%) of 33 S. flexneri isolates were positive for ipaBCD, ipaH, virA, ial, and sat. The sen determinants were found to be statistically significantly associated with hospitalization and bloody diarrhea (p = 0.001).
CONCLUSION
This study revealed a high prevalence of enterotoxin genes in S. flexneri, especially in serotype 2a, and has presented relations between a few clinical features of shigellosis and numerous virulence determinants of clinical isolates of Shigella spp.

Keyword

virulence gene; Shigella; pediatrics; diarrhea; gene profile; Iran

MeSH Terms

Bacteria
Child
Diarrhea
Dysentery, Bacillary
Enterotoxins
Hospitalization
Humans
Iran*
Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
Pediatrics
Prevalence
Serogroup
Shigella*
Virulence
Enterotoxins
Full Text Links
  • OPHRP
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr