Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals
Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes severe illness in humans and is an important cause of foodborne disease. In Chile, there is limited information on the virulence characteristics of this pathogen in livestock, and none in companion an...
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MDPI AG
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/733 |
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| author | Nicolás Galarce Beatriz Escobar Fernando Sánchez Esteban Paredes-Osses Raúl Alegría-Morán Consuelo Borie |
| author_facet | Nicolás Galarce Beatriz Escobar Fernando Sánchez Esteban Paredes-Osses Raúl Alegría-Morán Consuelo Borie |
| author_sort | Nicolás Galarce |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes severe illness in humans and is an important cause of foodborne disease. In Chile, there is limited information on the virulence characteristics of this pathogen in livestock, and none in companion animals. The aim of this study was to characterize STEC strains isolated from cattle, swine, dogs, and cats, in Chile, in terms of the presence of Shiga toxin types and subtypes, virulence genes, serogroups, and clonality. One-thousand two-hundred samples were collected, isolating 54 strains (4.5%), where <i>stx</i>1a (68.5%) and <i>ehx</i>A (74.1%) were the most frequently detected virulence genes. Only one strain belonging to the most clinically relevant serogroups was identified. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis showed high clonal diversity among strains isolated from cattle, while those from swine showed the same pattern. This study provides further evidence regarding cattle and swine in Chile as a potential source of a wide variety of STEC strains that could potentially cause severe illness in humans, and that companion animals do not seem to represent a relevant reservoir. It also argues that preventive and control strategies should not be focused on detecting serogroups, but instead, on detecting their determinants of virulence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T13:43:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77363735e7d14ac198c1dbfb22e71c29 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T13:43:29Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-77363735e7d14ac198c1dbfb22e71c292022-12-21T19:01:57ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152019-09-0191073310.3390/ani9100733ani9100733Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion AnimalsNicolás Galarce0Beatriz Escobar1Fernando Sánchez2Esteban Paredes-Osses3Raúl Alegría-Morán4Consuelo Borie5Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, 8820808 Santiago, ChileDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, 8820808 Santiago, ChileDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, 8820808 Santiago, ChileInstituto de Salud Pública de Chile, Departamento de Salud Ambiental, 7780050 Santiago, ChileDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, 8820808 Santiago, ChileDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, 8820808 Santiago, ChileShiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes severe illness in humans and is an important cause of foodborne disease. In Chile, there is limited information on the virulence characteristics of this pathogen in livestock, and none in companion animals. The aim of this study was to characterize STEC strains isolated from cattle, swine, dogs, and cats, in Chile, in terms of the presence of Shiga toxin types and subtypes, virulence genes, serogroups, and clonality. One-thousand two-hundred samples were collected, isolating 54 strains (4.5%), where <i>stx</i>1a (68.5%) and <i>ehx</i>A (74.1%) were the most frequently detected virulence genes. Only one strain belonging to the most clinically relevant serogroups was identified. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis showed high clonal diversity among strains isolated from cattle, while those from swine showed the same pattern. This study provides further evidence regarding cattle and swine in Chile as a potential source of a wide variety of STEC strains that could potentially cause severe illness in humans, and that companion animals do not seem to represent a relevant reservoir. It also argues that preventive and control strategies should not be focused on detecting serogroups, but instead, on detecting their determinants of virulence.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/733cattleclonalitycompanion animalsstecswinevirulence |
| spellingShingle | Nicolás Galarce Beatriz Escobar Fernando Sánchez Esteban Paredes-Osses Raúl Alegría-Morán Consuelo Borie Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals Animals cattle clonality companion animals stec swine virulence |
| title | Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals |
| title_full | Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals |
| title_fullStr | Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals |
| title_short | Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia Coli</i> Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals |
| title_sort | virulence genes shiga toxin subtypes serogroups and clonal relationship of shiga toxin producing i escherichia coli i strains isolated from livestock and companion animals |
| topic | cattle clonality companion animals stec swine virulence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/733 |
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