TY - JOUR
AU - Grande, Laura
AU - Michelacci, Valeria
AU - Bondì, Roslen
AU - Gigliucci, Federica
AU - Franz, Eelco
AU - Badouei, Mahdi Askari
AU - Schlager, Sabine
AU - Minelli, Fabio
AU - Tozzoli, Rosangela
AU - Caprioli, Alfredo
AU - Morabito, Stefano
T1 - Whole-Genome Characterization and Strain Comparison of VT2f-Producing Escherichia coli Causing Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal
PY - 2016
VL - 22
IS - 12
SP - 2078
SN - 1080-6059
AB - Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli infections in humans cause disease ranging from uncomplicated intestinal illnesses to bloody diarrhea and systemic sequelae, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Previous research indicated that pigeons may be a reservoir for a population of verotoxigenic E. coli producing the VT2f variant. We used whole-genome sequencing to characterize a set of VT2f-producing E. coli strains from human patients with diarrhea or HUS and from healthy pigeons. We describe a phage conveying the vtx2f genes and provide evidence that the strains causing milder diarrheal disease may be transmitted to humans from pigeons. The strains causing HUS could derive from VT2f phage acquisition by E. coli strains with a virulence genes asset resembling that of typical HUS-associated verotoxigenic E. coli.
KW - VT2f-producing
KW - variant verotoxigenic Escherichia coli
KW - virulence
KW - evolution
KW - enteric infections
KW - bacteria
KW - zoonoses
KW - VTEC
KW - Escherichia coli
KW - whole-genome characterization
KW - hemolytic uremic syndrome
KW - HUS
DO - 10.3201/eid2212.160017
UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/12/16-0017_article
ER - End of Reference