title: Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.
abstract: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are an emerging group of zoonotic pathogens. Ruminants are the natural reservoir of STEC. In this study we determined the prevalence and characteristics of the STEC in plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. A total of 1116 pika samples, including 294 intestinal contents samples, 317 fecal samples, and 505 intestinal contents samples, were collected from May to August in the years 2012, 2013, and 2015, respectively. Twenty-one samples (1.88%) yielded at least one STEC isolate; in total, 22 STEC isolates were recovered. Thirteen different O serogroups and 14 serotypes were identified. One stx 1 subtype (stx 1a) and three stx 2 subtypes (stx 2a, stx 2b, and stx 2d) were present in the STEC isolates. Fifteen, fourteen, and three STEC isolates harbored the virulence genes ehxA, subA, and astA, respectively. Adherence-associated genes iha and saa were, respectively, present in 72.73 and 68.18% of the STEC isolates. Twenty antibiotics were active against all the STEC isolates; all strains were resistant to penicillin G, and some to cephalothin or streptomycin. The 22 STEC isolates were divided into 16 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns and 12 sequence types. Plateau pikas may play a role in the ongoing circulation of STEC in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. This study provides the first report on STEC in plateau pikas and new information about STEC reservoirs in wildlife. Based on the serotypes, virulence gene profiles and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) analysis, the majority of these pika STECs may pose a low public health risk.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiangning
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control Xining, China.
authors.forename: Xinyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control Xining, China.
authors.forename: Youquan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xuelian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and PreventionBeijing, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesHangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and PreventionBeijing, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesHangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yanwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: MLST; PFGE; Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli; antibiotic resistance; plateau pika