[en] The increased detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O113:H4 among human cases in Belgium questions the importance of this serotype as an emerging pathogen. However, detailed information focusing on serotype O113:H4 from human and non-human sources remains limited. We analysed a collection of 140 STEC O113:H4 isolates and their whole genomes, originating from animal hosts (cattle, deer, goats, and sheep), food, and humans, to determine their genetic relationship and assess key virulence genes. All STEC O113:H4 genomes lacked the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) and belonged to Pasteur Sequence Type (pST) 367 complex, dominated by pST367 (ehxA-, stx2d+) and pST1729 (ehxA+, stx2b+). Compared to stx2d+ isolates, stx2b+ isolates carried on median more virulence factors, which might thus contribute to enhanced pathogenicity. Besides, humans appear to be infected with distinct subgroups of STEC O113:H4 carrying distinct stx subtypes and originating from potentially different sources: deer, goats, and sheep for STEC carrying stx2b (alone or in combination with stx1c) and mainly cattle for STEC carrying stx2d. Our results call for improved understanding and continuous surveillance of emerging STEC O113:H4.
Disciplines :
Microbiology
Author, co-author :
Crombé, Florence; Vitality Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Department of Clinical Biology, Laboratory of Microbiology and Infection Control, Belgian National Reference Centre for STEC/VTEC (NRC STEC/VTEC), Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: florence.crombe@uzbrussel.be
Auvray, Frederic; IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, UPS, Toulouse, France
van Hoek, Angela H A M; Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Verhaegen, Bavo; Sciensano, Service of Foodborne Pathogens, National Reference Laboratory for STEC, Brussels, Belgium
De Keersmaecker, Sigrid C J; Sciensano, Transversal Activities in Applied Genomics, Brussels, Belgium
Nodari, Carolina Silva; Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Centre national de référence des E. coli, Shigella et Salmonella, Paris, France
Cointe, Aurélie; Hôpital Robert-Debré, French National Reference Centre for Escherichia coli, Paris, France
Mainil, Jacques ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI)
Willis, Caroline; Food Water and Environmental Microbiology Services, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, Porton, England, UK
Johannessen, Gro S; Section for Food Safety and Animal Health Reasearch, Norwegian Venterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
Litjens, Ralph; Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Part of Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Stassen, Joost; Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Part of Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Piérard, Denis; Vitality Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Department of Clinical Biology, Laboratory of Microbiology and Infection Control, Belgian National Reference Centre for STEC/VTEC (NRC STEC/VTEC), Brussels, Belgium
Part of this work was performed in the frame of the Belgian National Reference Centre for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli supported by the Belgian Ministry of Social Affairs through a fund within the Health Insurance System . The isolation and sequencing of the deer isolates from Norway were part of DiSCoVeR, a project in the One Health European Joint Programme (EJP) receiving funding from EU \u2019s Horizon 2020 Research and innovation Programme (Grant Agreement No 773820 ).
