J Vet Sci.  2019 Jan;20(1):87-90. 10.4142/jvs.2019.20.1.87.

Molecular epidemiology of sequence type 33 of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O91:H14 isolates from human patients and retail meats in Korea

• Lee JB
• Kim SK
• Wi SM
• Cho YJ
• Hahn TW
• Yu JY
• Kim S
• Hong S
• Kim J
• Yoon JW

• KMID: 2434782
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2019.20.1.87

Abstract

Sequence type (ST) 33 of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strain O91:H14 has been proposed as a potential domestic clone of STEC in Korea because of its high prevalence among human patients with mild diarrhea or asymptomatic carriers. Herein, the clonal diversity of 17 STEC O91:H14 isolates of ST33 during 2003 to 2014 was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, including 14 isolates from human patients and 3 from retail meats. Their virulence characteristics, acid resistance, and antimicrobial susceptibility were also determined. Our results showed that all isolates were clustered mainly into three different pulsotypes and were likely low pathogenic without antimicrobial resistance.

Keyword

Shiga toxin; Escherichia coli; Multilocus sequence type; O91; Korea

MeSH Terms

Clone Cells
Diarrhea
Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
Escherichia coli
Humans*
Korea*
Meat*
Molecular Epidemiology*
Prevalence
Shiga Toxin
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli*
Virulence
Shiga Toxin

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles and virulence characteristics of the 17 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O91:H14 isolates with sequence type 33. The data, including multilocus sequence types, stx genotypes, reverse passive latex agglutination (RPLA) titers of Shiga toxins (Stxs), glutamate-induced acid resistance, and antibiotic resistance phenotypes, were combined and presented with the pulsotypes. The STEC isolates were divided into three pulsotypes (A to C) based on > 80% similarity of PFGE profiles. The RPLA titers of Stxs and the acid survival rates (AR2) were quantitated and compared with those of EDL933, which produced both Stx1 and Stx2 (1:16 and ≥ 1:128 RPLA titers, respectively) as well as surviving well in EG media (pH 2.5) with 1.5 mM glutamate. AM, ampicillin; AN, amikacin; CF, cephalothin; CIP, ciprofloxacin; S, streptomycin; CTX, cefotaxime; I, intermediate resistance. *p < 0.05, significantly different from EDL933; **p < 0.01, significantly different from EDL933; ***p < 0.001, significantly different from EDL933.

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