title: The rapidly emerging ESBL-producing Escherichia coli O25-ST131 clone carries LPS core synthesis genes of the K-12 type.
abstract: The clone Escherichia coli O25 ST131, typically producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), has spread globally and became the dominant type among extraintestinal isolates at many parts of the world. However, the reasons behind the emergence and success of this clone are only partially understood. We compared the core type genes by PCR of ESBL-producing and ESBL-nonproducing strains isolated from urinary tract infections in the United Arab Emirates and found a surprisingly high frequency of the K-12 core type (44.6%) among members of the former group, while in the latter one, it was as low (3.7%), as reported earlier. The high figure was almost entirely attributable to the presence of members of the clone O25 ST131 among ESBL producers. Strains from the same clone isolated in Europe also carried the K-12 core type genes. Sequencing the entire core operon of an O25 ST131 isolate revealed a high level of similarity to known K-12 core gene sequences and an almost complete identity with a recently sequenced non-O25 ST131 fecal isolate. The exact chemical structure and whether and how this unusual core type contributed to the sudden emergence of ST131 require further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Arsanis Biosciences GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Valéria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Szijártó
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Akela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghazawi
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: al-Haj
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: El Kurdi
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonnevend
mesh_terms: D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005060:Europe; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D026801:Synteny; D014479:United Arab Emirates; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D001618:beta-Lactamases