[Study on the prevalence of the "high pathogenicity island" of Yersinia enterocolitica WA in Enterotoxigenic, Enteropathogenic and Enteroaggregative E. coli strains].
OBJECTIVE
To detect the "high pathogenicity island" of Yersinia enterocolitica WA in E. coli and the to provide evidence for theory base of bacterial evolution process and the different structures in different E. coil.


METHODS
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nucleic acid hybridization in situ were used to detect and identify HPI. DNA sequencing was used to compare the gene homology of HPI among E. coli with Yersinia enterocolitica (Yen).


RESULTS
The irp2 and fyua genes of Yen HPI were investigated in E. coli strains. Among them, 30 strains were isolated from 93 Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strains and 3 strains were positive in 10 strains Enteropathogenic (EPEC). HPI was also detected in Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC) strain. In most of these isolates, HPI was bordered by an asntRNA locus, as in Yersinia sp. Through sequential comparison, the gene sequence homology was higher between in EPEC and EAggEC than ETEC and Yersinia enterocolica.


CONCLUSIONS
ETEC, EPEC and EAggEC were pathogenicity bacterias and many of them harboring HPI of Yen and the HPI had the same position in E. coli chromosome as Yersinia enterocolitica but the diversity of structure and sequence in these E. coli might suggest that the HPI of these different serotype E. coli were from different ancient bacterias. At the same time, the high positivity rate of HPI in E. coli might be crucial to virulence change, virulence evolution and virulence regulation in E. coli.
Wang
Yong
Y
The Epidemic Prevention Brigade of Health, General Logistic Department, People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100039, China.
Wang
Hong
H
Xiang
Qian
Q
Sun
Su-xia
SX
Yu
Shou-yi
SY
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C090748:FyuA protein, Yersinia; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface