Dataset Information

Genomic and molecular characterisation of Escherichia marmotae from wild rodents in Qinghai-Tibet plateau as a potential pathogen.

ABSTRACT: Wildlife is a reservoir of emerging infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals. Marmota himalayana mainly resides 2800-4000?m above sea level in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and is the primary animal reservoir of plague pathogen Yersinia pestis. Recently we isolated a new species, Escherichia marmotae from the faeces of M. himalayana. In this study we characterised E. marmotae by genomic analysis and in vitro virulence testing to determine its potential as a human pathogen. We sequenced the genomes of the seven E. marmotae strains and found that they contained a plasmid that carried a Shigella-like type III secretion system (T3SS) and their effectors, and shared the same O antigen gene cluster as Shigella dysenterae 8 and E. coli O38. We also showed that E. marmotae was invasive to HEp-2 cells although it was much less invasive than Shigella. Thus E. marmotae is likely to be an invasive pathogen. However, E. marmotae has a truncated IpaA invasin, and lacks the environmental response regulator VirF and the IcsA-actin based intracellular motility, rendering it far less invasive in comparison to Shigella. E. marmotae also carried a diverse set of virulence factors in addition to the T3SS, including an IS1414 encoded enterotoxin gene astA with 37 copies, E. coli virulence genes lifA/efa, cif, and epeA, and the sfp gene cluster, Yersinia T3SS effector yopJ, one Type II secretion system and two Type VI secretion systems. Therefore, E. marmotae is a potential invasive pathogen.

SUBMITTER: Liu S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6650469 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genomic and molecular characterisation of Escherichia marmotae from wild rodents in Qinghai-Tibet plateau as a potential pathogen.

Liu Sha S Feng Jie J Pu Ji J Xu Xuefang X Lu Shan S Yang Jing J Wang Yiting Y Jin Dong D Du Xiaochen X Meng Xiangli X Luo Xia X Sun Hui H Xiong Yanwen Y Ye Changyun C Lan Ruiting R Xu Jianguo J

Scientific reports 20190723 1

Wildlife is a reservoir of emerging infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals. Marmota himalayana mainly resides 2800-4000 m above sea level in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and is the primary animal reservoir of plague pathogen Yersinia pestis. Recently we isolated a new species, Escherichia marmotae from the faeces of M. himalayana. In this study we characterised E. marmotae by genomic analysis and in vitro virulence testing to determine its potential as a human pathogen. We sequenced ...[more]

PMID: 31337784

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Project description:We hereby present the first descriptions of human-invasive infections caused by Escherichia marmotae, a recently described species that encompasses the former "Escherichia cryptic clade V." We describe four cases, one acute sepsis of unknown origin, one postoperative sepsis after cholecystectomy, one spondylodiscitis, and one upper urinary tract infection. Cases were identified through unsystematic queries in a single clinical lab over 6 months. Through genome sequencing of the causative strains combined with available genomes from elsewhere, we demonstrate Es. marmotae to be a likely ubiquitous species containing genotypic virulence traits associated with Escherichia pathogenicity. The invasive isolates were scattered among isolates from a range of nonhuman sources in the phylogenetic analyses, thus indicating inherent virulence in multiple lineages. Pan genome analyses indicate that Es. marmotae has a large accessory genome and is likely to obtain ecologically advantageous traits, such as genes encoding antimicrobial resistance. Reliable identification might be possible by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), but relevant spectra are missing in commercial databases. It can be identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Escherichia marmotae could represent a relatively common human pathogen, and improved diagnostics will provide a better understanding of its clinical importance. IMPORTANCE Escherichia coli is the most common pathogen found in blood cultures and urine and among the most important pathogenic species in the realm of human health. The notion that some of these isolates are not Es. coli but rather another species within the same genus may have implications for what Es. coli constitutes. We only recently have obtained methods to separate the two species, which means that possible differences in important clinical aspects, such as antimicrobial resistance rates, virulence, and phylogenetic structure, may exist. We believe that Es. marmotae as a common pathogen is new merely because we have not looked or bothered to distinguish between the thousands of invasive Escherichia passing through microbiological laboratories each day.

Project description:It was acknowledged long ago that microorganisms have played critical roles in animal evolution. Tibetan wild asses (TWA, Equus kiang) are the only wild perissodactyls on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and the first national protected animals; however, knowledge about the relationships between their gut microbiota and the host's adaptability remains poorly understood. Herein, 16S rRNA and meta-genomic sequencing approaches were employed to investigate the gut microbiota–host associations in TWA and were compared against those of the co-resident livestock of yak (Bos grunnies) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries). Results revealed that the gut microbiota of yak and Tibetan sheep underwent convergent evolution. By contrast, the intestinal microflora of TWA diverged in a direction enabling the host to subsist on sparse and low-quality forage. Meanwhile, high microbial diversity (Shannon and Chao1 indices), cellulolytic activity, and abundant indicator species such as Spirochaetes, Bacteroidetes, Prevotella_1, and Treponema_2 supported forage digestion and short-chain fatty acid production in the gut of TWA. Meanwhile, the enterotype identification analysis showed that TWA shifted their enterotype in response to low-quality forage for a better utilization of forage nitrogen and short-chain fatty acid production. Metagenomic analysis revealed that plant biomass degrading microbial consortia, genes, and enzymes like the cellulolytic strains (Prevotella ruminicola, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Ruminococcus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and Ruminobacter amylophilus), as well as carbohydrate metabolism genes (GH43, GH3, GH31, GH5, and GH10) and enzymes (β-glucosidase, xylanase, and β-xylosidase, etc.) had a significantly higher enrichment in TWA. Our results indicate that gut microbiota can improve the adaptability of TWA through plant biomass degradation and energy maintenance by the functions of gut microbiota in the face of nutritional deficiencies and also provide a strong rationale for understanding the roles of gut microbiota in the adaptation of QTP wildlife when facing harsh feeding environments.

Dataset Information

Genomic and molecular characterisation of Escherichia marmotae from wild rodents in Qinghai-Tibet plateau as a potential pathogen.

Publications

Genomic and molecular characterisation of Escherichia marmotae from wild rodents in Qinghai-Tibet plateau as a potential pathogen.

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