title: Vaginal Escherichia coli share common virulence factor profiles, serotypes and phylogeny with other extraintestinal E. coli.
abstract: Characteristics of Escherichia coli residing in the vagina and their role in extraintestinal infections are largely unknown. In this study, 88 vaginal E. coli (VEC) isolates from Japanese women were characterized by extraintestinal virulence factor (VF) profiling, O:H serotyping and phylogenetic analysis. The prevalence of papC, hlyA, cnfI, PAI, ibeA and K1 antigen among the VEC strains were 45, 22, 19, 78, 32 and 44%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis identified 76, 16 and 8% of the VEC strains in groups B2, D and A, respectively. The VEC strains were distributed into 31 serotypes, including 8 common serotypes (O1:K1:H1, O1:K1:H7, O2:K1:H7, O4:H5, O6:H1, O18ac:K1:H7, O25:H1 and O75:HNM) that were identified in three or more isolates. Comparative analysis with 61 stool isolates from healthy Japanese men and women, and with data from previous studies, revealed that, although some geographical specificities do exist, the VEC strains shared common VF profiles, O:K:H serotypes and phylogeny with uropathogenic E. coli and E. coli of neonatal septicaemia and meningitis. This study provides additional evidence for a link among extraintestinal E. coli, supporting the concept that the VEC are a reservoir along the 'faecal-vaginal-urinary/neonatal' course of transmission in the extraintestinal E. coli infections.
authors.affiliation: Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, OSaka, 537-0025, Japan2.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine1 and Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences2, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8575, Japan.
authors.forename: Mana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obata-Yasuoka
authors.affiliation: Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, OSaka, 537-0025, Japan2.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ba-Thein
authors.affiliation: Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, OSaka, 537-0025, Japan2.
authors.forename: Teizo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine1 and Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences2, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8575, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.affiliation: Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, OSaka, 537-0025, Japan2.
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayashi
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019081:O Antigens; D010802:Phylogeny; D012703:Serotyping; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; C022863:H antigen; C030659:K antigens; D019081:O Antigens; D037521:Virulence Factors