title: Genomic diversity of EPEC associated with clinical presentations of differing severity.
abstract: Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are diarrhoeagenic E. coli, and are a significant cause of gastrointestinal illness among young children in developing countries. Typical EPEC are identified by the presence of the bundle-forming pilus encoded by a virulence plasmid, which has been linked to an increased severity of illness, while atypical EPEC lack this feature. Comparative genomics of 70 total EPEC from lethal (LI), non-lethal symptomatic (NSI) or asymptomatic (AI) cases of diarrhoeal illness in children enrolled in the Global Enteric Multicenter Study was used to investigate the genomic differences in EPEC isolates obtained from individuals with various clinical outcomes. A comparison of the genomes of isolates from different clinical outcomes identified genes that were significantly more prevalent in EPEC isolates of symptomatic and lethal outcomes than in EPEC isolates of asymptomatic outcomes. These EPEC isolates exhibited previously unappreciated phylogenomic diversity and combinations of virulence factors. These comparative results highlight the diversity of the pathogen, as well as the complexity of the EPEC virulence factor repertoire.
authors: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences, 801 W. Baltimore Street, Room 600, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, HSF-I Suite 380, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: Tracy H
authors: TH
authors: Hazen
authors: Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, N3W42, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: Michael S
authors: MS
authors: Donnenberg
authors: Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, Room 480, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Panchalingam
authors: Medical Research Council Unit, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, P.O. Box 273, Banjul, Gambia.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Antonio
authors: ICDDR, B, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.
authors: Anowar
authors: A
authors: Hossain
authors: Centro de Investigacao em Saude, Manhica, Rua 12, Cambeve, Vila de Manhiça, CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique.
authors: Inacio
authors: I
authors: Mandomando
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute/CDC, P.O. Box 54840 - 00200, Kisumu, Kenya.
authors: John Benjamin
authors: JB
authors: Ochieng
authors: National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, P-33, C.I.T. Road, Scheme XM, Beleghata, Kolkata 700 010, India.
authors: Thandavarayan
authors: T
authors: Ramamurthy
authors: Center for Vaccine Development - Mali, Bamako, Mali.
authors: Boubou
authors: B
authors: Tamboura
authors: The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.
authors: Shahida
authors: S
authors: Qureshi
authors: The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.
authors: Farheen
authors: F
authors: Quadri
authors: The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Zaidi
authors: Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, Room 480, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: Karen L
authors: KL
authors: Kotloff
authors: Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, Room 480, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: Myron M
authors: MM
authors: Levine
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, HSF-I Suite 380, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.|Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, N3W42, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: Eileen M
authors: EM
authors: Barry
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, HSF-I Suite 380, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: James B
authors: JB
authors: Kaper
authors: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences, 801 W. Baltimore Street, Room 600, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, HSF-I Suite 380, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Rasko
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, P.O. Box 800386, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA.
authors: James P
authors: JP
authors: Nataro
mesh_terms: D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D054308:Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors