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Distribution of virulence-associated genes and genetic relationships in non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae aquatic isolates from China.

ABSTRACT: Non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae is naturally present in aquatic ecosystems and has been linked with cholera-like diarrhea and local outbreaks. The distribution of virulence-associated genes and genetic relationships among aquatic isolates from China are largely unknown. In this study, 295 aquatic isolates of V. cholerae non-O1/O139 serogroups from different regions in China were investigated. Only one isolate was positive for ctxB and harbored a rare genotype; 10 (3.4%) isolates carried several types of rstR sequences, eight of which carried rare types of toxin-coregulated pili (tcpA). Furthermore, 16 (5.4%) isolates carried incomplete (with partial open reading frames [ORFs]) vibrio seventh pandemic island I (VSP-I) or VSP-II clusters, which were further classified as 11 novel types. PCR-based analyses revealed remarkable variations in the distribution of putative virulence genes, including mshA (95.6%), hlyA (95.3%), rtxC (89.8%), rtxA (82.7%), IS1004 (52.9%), chxA (30.2%), SXT (15.3%), type III secretion system (18.0%), and NAG-ST (3.7%) genes. There was no correlation between the prevalence of putative virulence genes and that of CTX prophage or TCP genes, whereas there were correlations among the putative virulence genes. Further multilocus sequence typing (MLST) placed selected isolates (n = 70) into 69 unique sequence types (STs), which were different from those of the toxigenic O1 and O139 counterparts, and each isolate occupied a different position in the MLST tree. The V. cholerae non-O1/O139 aquatic isolates predominant in China have high genotypic diversity; these strains constitute a reservoir of potential virulence genes, which may contribute to evolution of pathogenic isolates.

SUBMITTER: Li F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4135755 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Distribution of virulence-associated genes and genetic relationships in non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae aquatic isolates from China.

Li Fengjuan F Du Pengcheng P Li Baisheng B Ke Changwen C Chen Aiping A Chen Jie J Zhou Haijian H Li Jie J Morris J Glenn JG Kan Biao B Wang Duochun D

Applied and environmental microbiology 20140606 16

Non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae is naturally present in aquatic ecosystems and has been linked with cholera-like diarrhea and local outbreaks. The distribution of virulence-associated genes and genetic relationships among aquatic isolates from China are largely unknown. In this study, 295 aquatic isolates of V. cholerae non-O1/O139 serogroups from different regions in China were investigated. Only one isolate was positive for ctxB and harbored a rare genotype; 10 (3.4%) isolates carried several type ...[more]

PMID: 24907334

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Project description:Vibrio cholerae is a natural inhabitant of aquatic ecosystems globally. Strains of the serogroups O1 and O139 cause the epidemic diarrheal disease cholera. In Northern European waters, V. cholerae bacteria belonging to other serogroups (designated non-O1, non-O139) are present, of which some strains have been associated with gastrointestinal infections or extraintestinal infections, like wound infections or otitis. For this study, environmental strains from the German coastal waters of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea were selected (100 strains) and compared to clinical strains (10 isolates) that were from patients who contracted the infections in the same geographical region. The strains were characterized by MLST and examined by PCR for the presence of virulence genes encoding the cholera toxin, the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), and other virulence-associated accessory factors. The latter group comprised hemolysins, RTX toxins, cholix toxin, pandemic islands, and type III secretion system (TTSS). Phenotypic assays for hemolytic activity against human and sheep erythrocytes were also performed. The results of the MLST analysis revealed a considerable heterogeneity of sequence types (in total 74 STs). The presence of virulence genes was also variable and 30 profiles were obtained by PCR. One profile was found in 38 environmental strains and six clinical strains. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 15 environmental and 7 clinical strains that were ST locus variants in one, two, or three alleles. Comparison of WGS results revealed that a set of virulence genes found in some clinical strains is also present in most environmental strains irrespective of the ST. In few strains, more virulence factors are acquired through horizontal gene transfer (i.e., TTSS, genomic islands). A distinction between clinical and environmental strains based on virulence gene profiles is not possible for our strains. Probably, many virulence traits of V. cholerae evolved in response to biotic and abiotic pressure and serve adaptation purposes in the natural aquatic environment, but provide a prerequisite for infection of susceptible human hosts. These findings indicate the need for surveillance of Vibrio spp. in Germany, as due to global warming abundance of Vibrio will rise and infections are predicted to increase.

Dataset Information

Distribution of virulence-associated genes and genetic relationships in non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae aquatic isolates from China.

Publications

Distribution of virulence-associated genes and genetic relationships in non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae aquatic isolates from China.

Similar Datasets

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