Relationship between O-antigen subtypes, bacterial surface structures and O-antigen gene clusters in Escherichia coli O123 strains carrying genes for Shiga toxins and intimin.
Escherichia coli O123 strains express a broad spectrum of phenotypes, H serotypes and virulence markers and are able to colonize and to cause disease in different hosts including humans. In this study, two subtypes of E. coli O123 antigen (group I and group II) have been identified based on their cross-reactions with other E. coli O antigens. Investigation of the relationship between O123 group I and group II strains by O serotyping and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of whole bacteria revealed surface structural differences between these two groups of E. coli O123 strains. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the O-antigen gene clusters of two E. coli O123 strains representing O123 group I and group II revealed no change at the amino acid level. These findings indicate that the differences in the surface structures of group I and group II strains are not related to genetic heterogeneity in their O-antigen gene clusters. A PCR assay based on O123 antigen-specific wzx and wzy genes was developed and found to be suitable for reliable detection of all subtypes of E. coli O123 strains, which bears an advantage over traditional serological detection.
Beutin
Lothar
L
National Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli, Centre for Infectiology and Pathogen Characterization, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Diedersdorfer Weg 1, D-12277 Berlin, Germany.
Wang
Quan
Q
Tianjin Key Laboratory for Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.|TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
Naumann
Dieter
D
Robert Koch Institute, P13, Nordufer 20, D-13353 Berlin, Germany.
Han
Weiqing
W
Tianjin Key Laboratory for Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.|TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
Krause
Gladys
G
National Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli, Centre for Infectiology and Pathogen Characterization, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Diedersdorfer Weg 1, D-12277 Berlin, Germany.
Leomil
Luciana
L
Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Wang
Lei
L
Tianjin Key Laboratory for Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.|TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
Feng
Lu
L
Tianjin Key Laboratory for Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.|TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 HongDa Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, P. R. China.
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D019081:O Antigens / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping; D012756:Sheep; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013552:Swine
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D019081:O Antigens; D022603:Shiga Toxins; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli