Acquisition and maintenance of enterotoxin plasmids in wild-type strains of Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli (ETEC) may produce a heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), a heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) or both enterotoxins. Certain serogroups are represented more frequently than others in ETEC isolated from humans. The transfer of three plasmids encoding enterotoxin production (Ent) to 22 non-toxigenic E. coli strains of many different O:H serotypes was studied. The Ent plasmids encoded ST (TP276), or LT (TP277), or ST + LT (TP214), and all carried antibiotic-resistance determinants. Twenty-one recipient strains acquired TP214, 18 acquired TP277 and 14 acquired TP276. Strains of those serotypes to which ETEC in diarrhoeal studies commonly belong neither acquired nor maintained Ent plasmids with a higher frequency than strains of those serotypes to which ETEC rarely belong. The recipient strains, with one exception, all expressed ST, or LT, or ST and LT, when they had acquired the appropriate plasmid; a non-motile strain belonging to O serogroup 88 expressed LT but failed to express ST when it acquired TP214 or TP277.     

Detection of heat-stable and heat-labile enterotoxin genes of Escherichia coli in diarrhoeic faecal samples of mithun (Bos frontalis) calves by polymerase chain reaction

Aims:  To find out the prevalence of different serogroups of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and to detect heat-stable (ST) and heat-labile (LT) enterotoxin genes of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) from the faeces of mithun calves with diarrhoea.
Methods and Results:  Faecal samples obtained from 65 diarrhoeic mithun calves of under 2 months of age were examined for E. coli using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fifty-four E. coli isolates were obtained from those samples, which belonged to 38 different serogroups. Out of 54 isolates tested by PCR, two isolates (3·70%) belonging to serogroups O26 and O55 were found to possess gene that code for ST enterotoxin and one isolate (1·85%) belonging to serogroup O125 was found to carry LT enterotoxin gene.
Conclusions:  Escherichia coli isolates from diarrhoeic mithun calves were found to possess ST and LT enterotoxin genes, which are designated as ETEC, and these isolates can be detected through PCR using specific primers.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study reports the isolation of ETEC possessing ST and LT enterotoxin genes for the first time and ETEC could be a cause of diarrhoea in mithun calves leading to calf mortality.     

The prevalence and molecular typing of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrheic stools in Malatya, Turkey

This study was performed from June 2002 to November 2003 year in Malatya, eastern Turkey. Stools of 172 diarrheic patients and 90 healthy controls were analysed for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) toxins were investigated by passive latex agglutination and enzyme immunoassay, respectively. Nine ETEC strains were isolated from 172 diarrheic stools (5.2%). Seven of the ETEC strains (10.1%) were isolated from 69 children in the 0-5 year age group. Two of these pediatric isolates were ST positive (2.9%) and five were LT positive (7.2%). ETEC was not isolated in the 6-18 year age group. Two ST producing E. coli strains were detected in diarrheic adult patients (> 18 years). In the 90 controls, two ETEC strains were detected (2.2%). One of them was a LT producer (1.1%) and the other was a ST producer (1.1%). E. coli strains producing both toxins simultaneously were not observed. ETEC positivity was higher in the diarrheic group than in the control group but statistically not significant (p > 0.05). The rate of resistance among ETEC strains to cefuroxime axetil, ampicillin, piperacillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was 72.7%, 54.5%, 45.5%, and 36.4%, respectively whereas the resistance rate to the same antibiotics in non-ETEC strains was 14%, 62%, 54%, and 66%, respectively. All ETEC isolates were intermediately resistant to cephalothin and fully susceptible to other antibiotics tested. Typing of the ETEC strains was done by arbitrary primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR). Only two LT strains of the 11 typed strains had a unique profile. The remaining nine were mixed LT and ST strains and divided into two groups. The first group had three strains having a similarity coefficient ranging from 70-90%. The other one had six strains, five of them were similar and one was subtype isolate. It can be concluded that ETEC strains might be considerably important enteropathogens especially in pediatric patients in the 0-5 year age group. High clonal relation indicated that ETEC strains were epidemiologically related.     

Production of enterotoxins by strains of Escherichia coli isolated from pigs

The production of enterotoxins by 237 hemolytic strains of Escherichia coli isolated from pigs was determined with the use of CTE in CHO. Vero and Hela cells and ILT. More frequent (p less than 0.01) production of enterotoxins, determined by ILT, was found for the serotypes being pathogenic for the animals (63.8% of the strains). No correlation between intensity of ILT and particular serotype was observed. Both the serotypes pathogenic for pigs and other serotypes produced LT enterotoxins and ST toxin. The frequency of LT enterotoxin production was statistically insignificant compared to the frequency of ST enterotoxin production by strains with serotypes pathogenic for the pigs. Strains of E. coli producing only enterotoxin ST belonged both to the pathogenic serotypes as well as to other hemolytic serotypes. The cytotoxic activity of supernatants of E. coli strains with different serotypes isolated from pigs in Vero and Hela cells and simultaneous CTE in CHO cells was observed. This suggests the production by the strains of enterotoxin LT and cytotoxin VT. Seven out of the 96 isolates showing CTE in CHO cells gave no reaction in the ILT in pigs. This suggests the production by these isolates of a toxin (toxins) differing from the E. coli enterotoxins.     

产毒性大肠杆菌毒素在豚鼠肠道定位的免疫组织化学研究

研究利用免疫组织化学方法对产毒性大肠杆菌（ETEC）感染豚鼠小肠组织中ETEC肠毒素的定位进行了研究,本研究结果表明,发病豚鼠从空肠到回肠明显充血,肿胀,但盲肠,结肠和直肠外观与对照组差别不明显,光镜下见到发病动物肠组织病变主要出现在空肠和回肠,以回肠最为严重。主要病理改变为水肿,炎症细胞浸润和充血,病变部位可以出现在粘膜层,粘膜下层,肌层和浆膜层,取回肠组织切片作免疫组织化学显示ETEC不耐热肠毒素（LT）和耐热肠毒素（ST）、可见回肠粘膜表层,粘膜肌层,肌层及浆膜层均呈LT和ST阳性反应,分布弥漫,空白对照和正常豚鼠回肠组织均呈阴性结果。本研究表明,ETEC主要作用于空肠和回肠,尤其是回肠;回肠组织各层都有病变,且与肠毒素的分布一致,证明毒素的作用并不仅限于肠粘膜细胞。     

Genes coding for Shiga-like toxin and heat-stabile enterotoxin in porcine strains of Escherichia coli

Besides diarrheagenic enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) that produce classical heat stable and/or heat labile enterotoxins (STs, LTs) and the class of Shiga-like toxin-producing entero-hemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), a new category of E. coli is defined sharing similarities with ETEC and EHEC. DNA hybridization studies indicate that some E. coli serovars from porcine origin harbor genes encoding cytotonic ST and cytotoxic Shiga-like toxin. The presence of two potent toxins might contribute to the virulence of such strains and should be taken into consideration when bio-assays are performed.     

Escherichia coli STb toxin and colibacillosis: knowing is half the battle.

Expression of both adherence and enterotoxin expression are required for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains to cause colibacillosis. ETEC strains are responsible for diarrhea in humans and animals by production of various enterotoxins. For many years, the role of the heat-stable E. coli enterotoxin STb as a diarrhea-causing toxin in animals, and in particular in swine, has been controversial. In fact, although the presence of STb-positive E. coli strains and diarrhea in animals is frequently observed, the difficulty of reproducing the pathology in an animal model was interpreted as a lack of toxicity. Recently, new light was shed on the activity of STb in intestinal ligated loops and in pigs orally inoculated with STb-positive E. coli strains. This minireview revisits the effects of STb on the intestinal epithelium and enlightens the significance of STb in swine colibacillosis. The interaction of STb toxin with other E. coli enterotoxins and dual ETEC/enteropathogenic E. coli or ETEC/attaching effacing E. coli infections are also discussed.     

肠毒素大肠杆菌定居因子CS3和肠毒素融合抗原基因在减毒鼠伤寒沙门氏菌中的共表达

不耐热肠毒素（LT）和耐热肠毒素（ST）是产肠毒素大肠杆菌的主要致病因素,CS3为该菌的优势定居因子,是定居因子CFA/Ⅱ菌毛抗原的共有抗原组分。采用基因操作技术将编码CS3和融合肠毒素蛋白基因转化到减毒鼠伤寒沙门氏菌疫苗侯选株X4072中进行表达。用重组菌株口服免疫小鼠后,免疫动物能产生抗CS3、LT和ST的血清抗体。特别有意义的是,所产生的抗ST抗体能中和天然ST的生物活性。这一结果为研究载体疫苗防治肠毒素大肠杆菌腹泻疾病奠定了基础。     

Production and release of heat-labile toxin by wild-type human-derived enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Production and release of heat-labile toxin (LT) by wild-type enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains, isolated from diarrheic and asymptomatic Brazilian children, was studied under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Based on a set of 26 genetically diverse LT(+) enterotoxigenic E. coli strains, cell-bound LT concentrations varied from 49.8 to 2415 ng mL(-1). The amounts of toxin released in culture supernatants ranged from 0% to 50% of the total synthesized toxin. The amount of LT associated with secreted membrane vesicles represented <5% of the total toxin detected in culture supernatants. ETEC strains secreting higher amounts of LT, but not those producing high intracellular levels of cell-bound toxin, elicited enhanced fluid accumulation in tied rabbit ileal loops, suggesting that the strain-specific differences in production and secretion of LT correlates with symptoms induced in vivo. However, no clear correlation was established between the ability to produce and secrete LT and the clinical symptoms of the infected individuals. The present results indicate that production and release of LT by wild-type human-derived ETEC strains are heterogeneous traits under both in vitro and in vivo growth conditions and may impact the clinical outcomes of infected individuals.     

Survival and gene expression of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli during long‐term incubation in sea water and freshwater

Aims: In this study, the main objective was to verify the hypothesis of induction of ‘viable but non‐culturable’ (VBNC) forms of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) during incubation in water. Methods and Results: Six clinically isolated ETEC strains were studied. Viable counts showed culturable ETEC bacteria for up to 3 months in freshwater but only two out of six strains were culturable in seawater at this time point. Although the bacterial cells remained intact, no production or secretion of heat‐labile (LT) or heat‐stable (ST) enterotoxins was observed using GM1‐ELISA methods. However, genes encoding ETEC toxins (STh and LT), colonization factors (CS7 and CS17), gapA and 16S RNA were expressed during 3 months in both sea water and freshwater microcosms as determined by real‐time RT‐PCR on cDNA derived from the bacteria. Conclusions: Clinically isolated ETEC strains can survive for long periods in both sea water and freshwater. The bacterial cells remain intact, and the gene expression of virulence genes and genes involved in metabolic pathways are detected after 3 months. Significance and Impact of the Study: These results indicate that ETEC bacteria can enter a VBNC state during stressful conditions and suggest that ETEC has the potential to be infectious after long‐term incubation in water.     

In vivo expression of the heat stable (estA) and heat labile (eltB) toxin genes of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) colonize the intestine and adhere to the epithelium by means of different host specific colonization factors (CFs). Colonizing ETEC produce one or both of two enterotoxins; the heat stable (ST) and heat labile (LT) toxins which are both able to cause diarrhoea. The regulation of virulence genes in ETEC during infection of the human intestine is mainly unknown. In this study we analysed the level of mRNA expression of estA, coding for ST, and eltB, coding for the B subunit of LT, during human infection. The expressions of the toxins in ETEC strains expressing both ST and LT were investigated in bacteria isolated directly from patient stool without sub-culturing, (in vivo) and compared to the expression pattern of the corresponding ST/LT strains grown in liquid broth (in vitro) by quantitative competitive RT-PCR using fluorescent primers. We found that estA and eltB are expressed in the in vivo samples but no significant up-or down regulation of the expression levels of either estA or eltB could be determined in vivo as compared to in vitro.     

产肠毒素大肠杆菌的热敏肠毒素B亚基(LT-B)和耐热肠毒素(ST)基因融合及其表达

采用基因重组技术构建了表达产肠毒素大肠杆菌(ETEC)的耐热肠毒素(ST)基因和热敏肠毒素B亚基(LT-B)基因融合抗原的疫苗候选株。将ST基因的5’端与LT-B基因的3’端连接,并置于同一阅读框。编码ST的基因是通过PCR从pSLM004质粒中扩增得到的,含有ST的pro序列(其编码ST前体的pro区域),并应用寡核苷酸定点突变技术将编码ST的第14位氨基酸残基发生突变,使ST的第14位氨基酸残基Ala突变为Leu。在所构建的结构中,于LT-B和proST之间分别插入了不同长度的氨基酸Linkers。表达的融合多肽同时具有ST和LT-B的抗原性,并保留结合GM-1神经节苷脂的能力,且无LT和ST的生物毒性。表达的融合蛋白免疫动物,能诱导产生相应的特异性抗体。     

Role of heat-stable enterotoxins in the induction of early immune responses in piglets after infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains that produce heat-stable (ST) and/or heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins are cause of post-weaning diarrhea in piglets. However, the relative importance of the different enterotoxins in host immune responses against ETEC infection has been poorly defined. In the present study, several isogenic mutant strains of an O149:F4ac(+), LT(+) STa(+) STb(+) ETEC strain were constructed that lack the expression of LT in combination with one or both types of ST enterotoxins (STa and/or STb). The small intestinal segment perfusion (SISP) technique and microarray analysis were used to study host early immune responses induced by these mutant strains 4 h after infection in comparison to the wild type strain and a PBS control. Simultaneously, net fluid absorption of pig small intestinal mucosa was measured 4 h after infection, allowing us to correlate enterotoxin secretion with gene regulation. Microarray analysis showed on the one hand a non-toxin related general antibacterial response comprising genes such as PAP, MMP1 and IL8. On the other hand, results suggest a dominant role for STb in small intestinal secretion early after post-weaning infection, as well as in the induced innate immune response through differential regulation of immune mediators like interleukin 1 and interleukin 17.     

Conjugal acquisition and stable maintenance of Ent plasmids in nontoxigenic wild-type strains of Escherichia coli

In spite of the ability of the genetic determinants for enterotoxin production to be conjugally transferred, mobilized or transposed, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolated from diarrheal patients is restricted to certain serotypes. Four conjugative enterotoxigenic plasmids (Ent plasmids) encoding either a heat-labile enterotoxin or a heat-stable enterotoxin or both and belonging to one of three incompatibility groups IncFI, IncHl, or IncX, were examined for their transferability to and stability in 157 nonenterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains belonging to various serotypes and 89 clinical isolates nonenterotoxigenic but belonging to those serotypes in which ETEC from diarrheal patients are usually found. The serotypes of the strains to which Ent plasmids were efficiently transferred and in which they were maintained stably were not always the serotypes in which ETEC had usually been found and vice versa. The frequencies of transfer of four Ent and two R plasmids to each of the 157 recipients were correlated with each other, indicating that the frequency of transfer of the plasmid is not determined by a resident plasmid, if there is one, but by a recipient factor which commonly affects transferability to all donors. These results have led to the conclusion that the reason why only certain serotypes are found among ETEC isolated from diarrheal patients is not the ability of these strains specifically and preferentially to acquire and maintain the Ent plasmids.     

Genome sequences and phylogenetic analysis of K88- and F18-positive porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) continues to result in major morbidity and mortality in the swine industry via postweaning diarrhea. The key virulence factors of ETEC strains, their serotypes, and their fimbrial components have been well studied. However, most studies to date have focused on plasmid-encoded traits related to colonization and toxin production, and the chromosomal backgrounds of these strains have been largely understudied. Here, we generated the genomic sequences of K88-positive and F18-positive porcine ETEC strains and examined the phylogenetic distribution of clinical porcine ETEC strains and their plasmid-associated genetic content. The genomes of porcine ETEC strains UMNK88 and UMNF18 were both found to contain remarkable plasmid complements containing known virulence factors, potential novel virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance-associated elements. The chromosomes of these strains also possessed several unique genomic islands containing hypothetical genes with similarity to classical virulence factors, although phage-associated genomic islands dominated the accessory genomes of these strains. Phylogenetic analysis of 78 clinical isolates associated with neonatal and porcine diarrhea revealed that a limited subset of porcine ETEC lineages exist that generally contain common toxin and fimbrial profiles, with many of the isolates belonging to the ST10, ST23, and ST169 multilocus sequencing types. These lineages were generally distinct from existing human ETEC database isolates. Overall, most porcine ETEC strains appear to have emerged from a limited subset of E. coli lineages that either have an increased propensity to carry plasmid-encoded virulence factors or have the appropriate ETEC core genome required for virulence.     

猪源大肠杆菌(ETEC、STEC、AEEC)毒力基因及其与O抗原型的关系

[目的]揭示从我国部分地区仔猪腹泻或水肿病病猪体内分离到的300个大肠杆菌分离株所属病原型(pathotype)、毒力基因及其与O血清型的关系.[方法]O血清型采用常规的凝集试验进行测定,毒力基因采用PCR方法检测.[结果]通过对这300个分离株的O血清型及其毒素、紧密素和黏附素基因进行鉴定,结果显示除50株未定型、17株自凝外,测定出233个分离株的血清型,这些分离株覆盖了45个血清型,其中以0149、0107、0139、093和091为主,共133株,占定型菌株的57.1%;拥有est Ⅰ、estⅡ、elt、stx2e和eae A基因的菌株分别为102(34.0%)、190(63.3%)、81(27.0%)、57(19.0%)和54(18.0%)株;分离株中有51株K88基因阳性(其中菌毛表达率为100%),75株F18基因阳性(其中菌毛表达率为50.7%),在K88菌株中,0149血清型与est Ⅰ或estⅡ elt密切相关,在F18菌株中,0107血清型与est Ⅰ或estⅡ、0139血清型与stx2e紧密相关.依其毒力特征可将这些分离株分为以下6种类型:ETEC、STEC、AEEC、ETEC/STEC、AEEC/ETEC和AEEC/ETEC/STEC,分别拥有190、24、36、32、17和1个菌株,占分离株的63.3%、8.0%、12.0%、10.7%、5.7%和0.3%.通过分析这些分离株的O血清型、毒素类型和黏附素型之间的相关性:猪源ETEC以0149、0107、093和098等血清型为主,0149:K88菌株主要与estⅡ或estⅡ elt肠毒素相关,0107:F18菌株主要与estⅡ相关,093和098血清型菌株主要与estⅡ肠毒素相关;STEC菌株以0139:F18血清型为主,拥有stx2e;AEEC菌株拥有紧密素,无明显优势血清型;ETEC/STEC菌株以0107:F18和0116:F18血清型为主,主要与est Ⅰ stx2e或estⅡ stx2e密切相关,ETEC/AEEC菌株以091和0107血清型为主,全部拥有肠毒素est Ⅰ和紧密素基因.[结论]我国至少存在6种病原型的猪肠道致病性大肠杆菌,其中ETEC为我国部分地区猪大肠杆菌病的主要病原,同时其病原型日益复杂.     

Genetic diversity of heat-labile toxin expressed by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from humans

The natural diversity of the elt operons, encoding the heat-labile toxin LT-I (LT), carried by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains isolated from humans was investigated. For many years, LT was supposed to be represented by a rather conserved toxin, and one derivative, produced by the reference H10407 strain, was intensively studied either as a virulence factor or as a vaccine adjuvant. Amplicons encompassing the two LT-encoding genes (eltA and eltB) of 51 human-derived ETEC strains, either LT(+) (25 strains) only or LT(+)/ST(+) (26 strains), isolated from asymptomatic (24 strains) or diarrheic (27 strains) subjects, were subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and DNA sequencing. Seven polymorphic RFLP types of the H10407 strain were detected with six (BsaI, DdeI, HhaI, HincII, HphI, and MspI) restriction enzymes. Additionally, the single-nucleotide polymorphic analysis revealed 50 base changes in the elt operon, including 21 polymorphic sites at eltA and 9 at eltB. Based on the deduced amino acid sequences, 16 LT types were identified, including LT1, expressed by the H10407 strain and 23 other strains belonging to seven different serotypes, and LT2, expressed by 11 strains of six different serotypes. In vitro experiments carried out with purified toxins indicated that no significant differences in GM1-binding affinity could be detected among LT1, LT2, and LT4. However, LT4, but not other toxin types, showed reduced toxic activities measured either in vitro with cultured cells (Y-1 cells) or in vivo in rabbit ligated ileal loops. Collectively, these results indicate that the natural diversity of LTs produced by wild-type ETEC strains isolated from human hosts is considerably larger than previously assumed and may impact the pathogeneses of the strains and the epidemiology of the disease.     

Elevation of rat intestinal permeability by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in comparison to non-toxigenic E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Application of fluorescent dextran 3000 as permeability probe

Abstract The effect of bacterial enterotoxins on rat intestinal permeability properties was studied by comparing the effect of toxin-positive and toxin-negative Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium inoculated into a segment of rat small intestine. Fluoresceinated dextran 3000 (FITC-D3; M _r 3000) was applied as permeability marker. The E. coli strain C922a-1 producing heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) enterotoxins and colonising factor CFA/II increased the transmural passage of the dextran probe into portal blood. In contrast, its plasmid-negative variant, a non-toxin producer lacking CFA, caused permeability changes indistinguishable from the bacteria-free nutrient broth control. Another pair of enterotoxigenic E. coli strains, 1628–14 (LT⁺, ST⁺, CFA/I⁺) and 1628–15 (LT⁺, ST⁻ and CFA/I⁻) both increased the intestinal permeability. The observations indicate that the LT⁺-only E. coli strain 1628–15 has the ability to promote permeability of rat intestine. The toxin-negative, rough S. typhimurium 395MR10 bacteria had a very small effect on the permeability, which was also achieved with culture filtrate only.
It is concluded that enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) can alter the properties of the mucosal barrier towards intermediate-sized molecules that could be of antigenic significance, or which could play a crucial role in the nutritional status of the host organism.     

Plasmid association and nucleotide sequence relationships of two genes encoding heat-stable enterotoxin production in Escherichia coli H-10407.

Plasmid DNA from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains H-10407 and H-10407-P was examined for nucleotide sequence homology to two E. coli genes encoding infant mouse-active heat-stable enterotoxins (ST). A 62-megadalton plasmid of strain H-10407 contained sequences homologous to the gene encoding a toxin designated STIb, previously isolated from a human isolate of E. coli. A 42-megadalton plasmid of strains H-10407 and H-10407-P contained sequences homologous to the gene encoding a toxin designated STIa, previously isolated from bovine and porcine isolates of E. coli.