E__coli_K1-sc-4879
E__coli_K1
Escherichia coli is a leading cause of early- and late-onset neonatal sepsis as well as neonatal bacterial meningitis (NBM); a high proportion (~85% for NBM) of E. coli strains responsible for these life-threatening infections express the K1 capsule, an anti-phagocytic, polysialic acid homopolymer that facilitates survival in the bloodstream and is closely associated with the capacity to invade and cause disease in the central nervous system of susceptible infants. E. coli K1 is frequently encountered as a seemingly benign component of the gastrointestinal microbiota but is also often isolated from cases of bacteraemia and urinary tract infections in adults. The initial attempt to understand the population structure of E. coli K1 isolates from neonatal infections.  This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/
E. coli K1 strains are major causes of septicaemia, sepsis and meningitis in the new born, worldwide. They may also cause severe urinary tract infection and, less frequently, systemic infection in older children and adults. Only a limited number of virulence determinants that may be responsible for disease outcome have been identified  and, aside from the presence of the K1 capsular polysaccharide, the basis of K1 pathogenesis remains unclear. We have, for the first time, assembled a collection of E. coli K1 isolates from neonatal infections that have been diagnosed in ospitals in Europe, the United States and Asia, in addition to a number of isolates from non-neonatal infections. Whole-genome sequencing of these strains will enable comparisons between neonatal and adult isolates, identification of virulence factors that contribute to the disease process and reveal features that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the potentially lethal infections caused by these neonatal pathogens.