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Sequence variation in tcdA and tcdB of Clostridium difficile: ST37 with truncated tcdA is a potential epidemic strain in China.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium difficile is a well-known nosocomial infectious pathogen. Research on C. difficile infection has primarily focused on strains such as the hypervirulent PCR ribotype 027 (sequence type 1 [ST1]) emerging in Europe and North America. However, other new emerging ribotypes in some countries have attracted attention, such as PCR ribotype 17 (ST37) in Asia and Latin America. We collected 70 strains and sequenced their toxin genes, tcdA and tcdB. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to study their population structure. In addition, tcdA and/or tcdB sequences of 25 other isolates were obtained from GenBank. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to study toxin gene evolution. All tcdA and tcdB sequences were divided into 1 of 16 types (denoted A01 to -16 and B01 to -16, respectively). Hypervirulent strain RT027 is A13B12, and RT078 is A14B10, whereas the newly epidemic strain RT017 is A15B13. SNP analysis suggests the possibility of recombination in tcdB, perhaps through horizontal gene transfer. SNPs were also found in the sequences corresponding to the PCR primers widely used for toxin detection. Our study shows that ST037 shares a few genotypic features in its tcdA and tcdB genes with some known hypervirulent strains, indicating that they fall into a unique clade. Our findings can be used to map the relationships among C. difficile strains more finely than can be done with less sensitive methods, such as toxinotyping or even MLST, to reveal their inherent epidemiological characteristics.

SUBMITTER: Du P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4313148 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sequence variation in tcdA and tcdB of Clostridium difficile: ST37 with truncated tcdA is a potential epidemic strain in China.

Du Pengcheng P Cao Bo B Wang Jing J Li Wenge W Jia Hongbing H Zhang Wen W Lu Jinxing J Li Zhongjie Z Yu Hongjie H Chen Chen C Cheng Ying Y

Journal of clinical microbiology 20140623 9

Clostridium difficile is a well-known nosocomial infectious pathogen. Research on C. difficile infection has primarily focused on strains such as the hypervirulent PCR ribotype 027 (sequence type 1 [ST1]) emerging in Europe and North America. However, other new emerging ribotypes in some countries have attracted attention, such as PCR ribotype 17 (ST37) in Asia and Latin America. We collected 70 strains and sequenced their toxin genes, tcdA and tcdB. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to ...[more]

PMID: 24958798

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Project description:Virulent C. difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB invade host intestinal epithelia by endocytosis and use the acidic environment of intracellular vesicles for further processing and activation. We investigated the role of ClC-5, a chloride/proton exchanger expressed in the endosomes of gastrointestinal epithelial cells, in the activation and processing of C. difficile toxins. Enhanced intoxication by TcdA and TcdB was observed in cells expressing ClC-5 but not ClC-4, another chloride/proton exchanger with similar function but different localization. In accordance with the established physiological function of ClC-5, its expression lowered the endosomal pH in HEK293T cells by approximately 0.6 units and enhanced approximately 5-fold the internalization of TcdA. In colon HT29 cells, 34% of internalized TcdA localized to ClC-5-containing vesicles defined by colocalization with Rab5, Rab4a, and Rab7 as early and early-to-late of endosomes but not as Rab11-containing recycling endosomes. Impairing the cellular uptake of TcdA by deleting the toxin CROPs domain did not abolish the effects of ClC-5. In addition, the transport-incompetent mutant ClC-5 E268Q similarly enhanced both endosomal acidification and intoxication by TcdA but facilitated the internalization of the toxin to a lower extent. These data suggest that ClC-5 enhances the cytotoxic action of C. difficile toxins by accelerating the acidification and maturation of vesicles of the early and early-to-late endosomal system. The dispensable role of electrogenic ion transport suggests that the voltage-dependent nonlinear capacitances of mammalian CLC transporters serve important physiological functions. Our data shed light on the intersection between the endocytotic cascade of host epithelial cells and the internalization pathway of the large virulence C. difficile toxins. Identifying ClC-5 as a potential specific host ion transporter hijacked by toxins produced by pathogenic bacteria widens the horizon of possibilities for novel therapies of life-threatening gastrointestinal infections.

Project description:BackgroundClostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a gram-positive, toxin-producing bacillus which is an intestinal pathogen in both humans and animals and causes a range of digestive disorders including inflammation of the bowel, abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea. C. difficile toxins include enterotoxin (Toxin A), cytotoxin (Toxin B) and a binary toxin. Two large protein toxins A and B are encoded by separate genes, tcdA and tcdB. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) mainly caused by the activity of the genes tcdA and tcdB. The binary toxin is encoded by the genes cdtA and cdtB. The binary toxin caused increased adherence of bacteria to intestinal epithelium. The aim of the present study was isolation of C. difficile from feces of calves, and study of the frequency of C. difficile virulence genes.Methods150 samples of fresh feces from calves were collected and C. difficile was isolated from feces of calves using bacterial culture methods. DNA was extracted by a genomic DNA purification kit. Then PCR method was used for definitive diagnosis of C. difficile. Multiplex PCR method performed for identification of tcdA, tcdB, cdtA and cdtB genes. In the final stage antimicrobial resistance determining was carried out by standard Bauer-Kirby disk diffusion method.ResultsC. difficile was isolated from 90 samples (60%). The tcdA was observed in 8 isolates (8.8%), tcdB in 16 isolates (17.7%), cdtA in 8 isolates (8.8%) and cdtB in 14 isolates (15.5%). Only 1 isolated (1.1%) was containing all four genes tcdA, tcdB, cdtA and cdtB, 2 isolates (2.2%) only had both tcdA and tcdB genes, and there was no sample positive only for both cdtA and cdtB. The highest rate of drug resistance was against clindamycin (100%) and the highest rate of drug sensitivity was against ciprofloxacin (50%).ConclusionThe results showed high incidence of C. difficile and also high antibiotic resistance of this bacterium, but frequency of strains containing virulence genes (tcdA, tcdB, cdtA and cdtB) was low.

Dataset Information

Sequence variation in tcdA and tcdB of Clostridium difficile: ST37 with truncated tcdA is a potential epidemic strain in China.

Publications

Sequence variation in tcdA and tcdB of Clostridium difficile: ST37 with truncated tcdA is a potential epidemic strain in China.

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