The etiological structure of shigellosis in the former USSR--an indicator of the activity of the main routes of infection transmission]

The data on the etiological structure of Shigella infections in the USSR in 1988-1989 are presented. The study showed the dominating role of S. flexneri with S. sonnei also retaining great importance in Shigella infections. The process of the liquidation of S. dysenteriae and S. boydii infections began in some large cities. The domination of dysentery caused by S. flexneri and a high typhoid rate, particularly in Central Asia, were due to poor water supply of the population. The spread of dysentery caused by S. sonnei was completely independent of the water factor. The decisive role in the transmission of S. sonnei in infective doses was explained by decentralized milk supply.     

A bacterial invasin induces macrophage apoptosis by binding directly to ICE.

Shigella, the etiological agent of dysentery, kills macrophages by inducing apoptosis. Deletion mutants in the invasion invasion plasmid antigen B (ipaB) of Shigella flexneri are not cytotoxic. Here, we localized IpaB to the cytoplasm of macrophages infected with S. flexneri. Purified IpaB induced apoptosis when microinjected into macrophages, indicating that IpaB is sufficient to induce apoptosis. Using a GST-IpaB fusion protein as a ligand in affinity purification, we isolated four IpaB binding proteins from macrophages which were identified as the precursor and the mature polypeptides of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) or a highly homologous protease. We found that IpaB binds directly to ICE and this enzyme is activated during S. flexneri infection. Furthermore, specific inhibitors of ICE prevented Shigella-induced apoptosis.     

The etiological structure of shigellosis in the USSR in recent years

The characterization of etiological structure of Shigella infection in the whole of the USSR, in individual union republics and at a number of other administrative territories of the USSR in recent years is presented. S. flexneri has been shown to prevail at the territories with unsatisfactory water supply of the population, and S. sonnei prevails at the territories with good water supply. At the former territories S. dysenteriae and S. boydii retain their etiological importance, while at the latter ones their role is insignificant. At a number of territories the infectious process has stopped: no isolation of these shigellae from dysentery patients and carriers is observed any longer. Among the causative agents of Flexner's dysentery, S. flexneri 2a, 6 and 1b (in different combinations) play the leading role.     

Etiologic structure of bacterial dysentery in the USSR in 1983-1985

The etiological structure of dysentery in the USSR in 1983-1985 is characterized. Sonne dysentery was found to prevail in the territories with adequate water supply, while dysentery caused by Shigella flexneri prevailed at the territories with unsatisfactory water supply. S. dysenteriae and S. boydii were found to play a limited role in the etiology of dysentery. In the presence of global pandemic, an increase in the isolation rate of S. dysenteriae I in the USSR is observed. The data on the biochemical structure of S. sonnei are presented.     

Nucleotide sequence of the ipaBCD structural genes of Shigella dysenteriae

A 9 kb EcoRI and two PstI fragments from the virulence plasmid of Shigella dysenteriae CG097 were shown to contain all ipa genes by probing with Shigella flexneri ipaB, -C, -D and -A gene probes. The DNA sequences of S. dysenteriae ipaBC genes were very similar to those of S. flexneri M90T and S. flexneri YSH6000, but ipaD differed by 22 codons from that of S. flexneri. The differences in ipaD may account for the different in vitro host specificities shown by S. dysenteriae and S. flexneri. The nucleotide composition of ipa genes revealed an unusually large number of codons that are rarely used in Escherichia coli chromosomal genes, indicating a different origin.     

驱除痢疾杆菌侵袭大质粒的新方法

用质粒不相容性原理驱除痢疾杆菌福氏 2a 2 4 5 7T和宋内S7的侵袭大质粒 ,先从福氏2a侵袭大质粒分别扩增ori和inc基因 ,将它们克隆至 pMD18 T载体 ,得重组质粒pMDori和 pMDinc ,然后转化 2 4 5 7T和S7,不管是pMDori还是 pMDinc都能竞争驱除痢疾杆菌福氏 2a 2 4 5 7T和宋内S7的侵袭大质粒。     

Construction of a multivalent vaccine strain of Shigella flexneri and evaluation of serotype-specific immunity

Shigella flexneri causes more fatalities by shigellosis than any other Shigella species. There are 13 different serotypes of S. flexneri and their distribution varies between endemic geographical regions. The immune response against S. flexneri is serotype-specific, so current immunization strategies have required the administration of multiple vaccine strains to provide protection against multiple serotypes. In this study, we report the construction of a multivalent S. flexneri vaccine strain, SFL1425, expressing the O-antigen structure specific for serotypes 2a and 5a. This combination of type antigens has not previously been reported for S. flexneri. The multivalent vaccine strain, SFL1425 was able to induce a specific immune response against both serotypes 2a and 5a in a mouse pulmonary model.     

Significance of determination of Shigella antibiotic resistance in bacteriological diagnosis of dysentery]

The results of the Shigella antibiotic susceptibility assay within 1995-2002 are presented. 1472 cultures from 1158 patients with intestinal infections and bacteria carriers were isolated. The isolates were tested for their susceptibility to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin, ampicillin and ofloxacin. It was shown that S. flexneri and S. sonnei were resistant to tetracycline. The S. flexneri isolates were highly resistant to chloramphenicol (73.3 to 96.0%) while resistance to it in the isolates of S. sonnei varied from 7.7 to 88.5%. In this connection the Levin medium with tetracycline was used to increase the Shigella isolation. In the study of the culture media efficiency with respect to isolation of Shigella it was observed that the Levin medium with tetracycline provided higher rates of S. flexneri and S. sonnei isolation (2.3- and 1.7-fold increase respectively) vs. the Shigella isolation on the Ploskirev medium without the antibiotic.     

The expression of lipopolysaccharide by strains of Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri and Shigella boydii and their cross-reacting strains of Escherichia coli

Strains of Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri and Shigella boydii express lipopolysaccharides, that enable the serotyping of strains based on their antigenic structures. Certain strains of S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri and S. boydii are known to share epitopes with strains of Escherichia coli ; however, the lipopolysaccharide profiles of the cross-reacting organisms have not been compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) lipopolysaccharides profiling. In the present study, type strains of these bacteria were examined using SDS-PAGE/silver staining to compare their respective lipopolysaccharide profiles. Strains of S. dysenteriae, S. boydii and S. flexneri all expressed long-chain lipopolysaccharide, with distinct profile patterns. The majority of strains of Shigella spp., known to cross-react with strains of E. coli , had lipopolysaccharide profiles quite distinct from the respective strain of E. coli . It was concluded that while cross-reacting strains of Shigella spp. and E. coli may express shared lipopolysaccharide epitopes, their lipopolysaccharide structures are not identical.     

Identification of a putative pathogenicity island in Shigella flexneri using subtractive hybridisation of the S. flexneri and Escherichia coli genomes

The genetic differences between the human pathogen, Shigella flexneri, and the non-pathogenic Escherichia coli were investigated in an attempt to identify pathogenicity islands (PAIs) in the S. flexneri genome. Genomic subtraction identified a large unique region of DNA which was present in S. flexneri serotype 2a but absent from E. coli K-12. This 42-kb DNA segment was localised to the S. flexneri chromosome and was found to contain a number of elements often associated with PAIs including: insertion sequence elements, bacteriophage genes, and a previously identified Shigella virulence gene (criR). These findings indicate that this region may form a new PAI in the S. flexneri genome.     

An AFLP-based database of Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei isolates and its use for the identification of untypable Shigella strains

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) can be used to assess the genetic diversity of closely related microbial genomes. In this study, the first of its kind for identification of Shigella, the high discriminatory power of AFLP has been used to determine the genetic relatedness of 230 isolates of Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei strains. An AFLP database was generated to demonstrate its utility in the discrimination of closely related strains. Based on AFLP, S. flexneri strains could be grouped into separate clusters according to their serotypes. Within each serotype, strains demonstrated 80-100% similarity indicating that identical strains and closely related strains could be distinguished by this technique. S. flexneri 6 formed a distinct cluster with 55% similarity to the rest of the S. flexneri strains showing significant divergence from the rest of the S. flexneri strains. Significantly, S. sonnei isolates formed a distinct group and showed approximately the same level of genetic linkage to S. flexneri as Escherichia coli strains. Untypable isolates that showed conflicting agglutination reactions with conventional typing sera were identifiable by AFLP. Thus AFLP can be used for genetic fingerprinting of Shigella strains and aid in the identification of variant untypable isolates.     

密度感应系统对弗氏志贺菌生长竞争能力的影响

密度感应系统调节细菌应答反应的发生,这些应答反应与细胞密度有关。通过对比大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)和志贺氏菌(Shigella spp.)的序列发现,志贺菌属密度感应系统操纵子普遍存在丢失或突变。为研究其密度感应系统的功能,文章利用哈氏弧菌(Vibrio harveyi)BB170作为指示菌,检测弗氏志贺菌(Shigella flexneri)密度感应系统信号分子AI-2,证明其可以分泌有活性的AI-2;其次,采用Golden Gate克隆法将大肠杆菌MG1655的密度感应系统基因克隆至弗氏志贺菌301中,获得密度感应系统回复株301。通过菌落计数表明,在混合培养条件下,密度感应系统基因回复株301比野生株301存在生长优势;通过双向电泳初步比较分析表明,密度感应系统基因可以在志贺菌中表达,并鉴定到了其他一些与应激反应相关的差异表达蛋白, 如Hsp60、GroEL、SodB。     

Gene cloning and characterization of alanine racemases from Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella boydii, Shigella flexneri, and Shigella sonnei.

Alanine racemase genes (alr) from Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella boydii, Shigella flexneri, and Shigella sonnei were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli JM109. All genes encoded a polypeptide of 359 amino acids, and showed more than 99% sequence identities with each other. In particular, the S. dysenteriae alr was identical with the S. flexneri alr. Differences in the amino acid sequences between the four Shigella enzymes were only two residues: Gly138 in S. dysenteriae and S. flexneri (Glu138 in the other) and Ile225 in S. sonnei (Thr225 in the other). The S. boydii enzyme was identical with the E. coli K12 alr enzyme. Each Shigella alr enzyme purified to homogeneity has an apparent molecular mass about 43,000 by SDS-gel electrophoresis, and about 46,000 by gel filtration. However, all enzymes showed an apparent molecular mass about 60,000 by gel filtration in the presence of a substrate, 0.1 M l-alanine. These results suggest that the Shigella alr enzymes having an ordinary monomeric structure interact with other monomer in the presence of the substrate. The enzymes were almost identical in the enzymological properties, and showed lower catalytic activities (about 210 units/mg) than those of homodimeric alanine racemases reported.     

Shigella flexneri regulates tight junction-associated proteins in human intestinal epithelial cells

Shigella spp. are a group of Gram-negative enteric bacilli that cause acute dysentery in humans. We demonstrate that Shigella flexneri has evolved the ability to regulate functional components of tight junctions after interaction at the apical and basolateral pole of model intestinal epithelia. In the regulation of tight junctional protein assemblies, S. flexneri can engage serotype-specific mechanisms, which targets not only expression, but also cellular distribution and membrane association of components of tight junctions. Distinct mechanisms resulting in the regulation of tight junction-associated proteins are initiated after either apical or basolateral interactions. S. flexneri serotype 2a has the ability to remove claudin-1 from Triton X-insoluble protein fractions upon apical exposure to T-84 cell monolayers. S. flexneri serotype 2a and 5, but not the non-invasive Escherichia coli strain F-18, share the ability to regulate expression of ZO-1, ZO-2, E-cadherin and to dephosphorylate occludin. The disruption of tight junctions is dependent on direct interaction of living Shigella with intestinal epithelial cells and is supported by heat-stable secreted bacterial products. Intestinal epithelial cells have the ability to compensate in part for S. flexneri induced regulation of tight junction-associated proteins.     

Differentiation of Shigella by esterase electrophoretic polymorphism

The electrophoretic mobilities of four esterases (A, B, C, and I) of 182 strains of Shigella dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. boydii and S. sonnei were compared to those of 636 strains of Escherichia coli from various origins, including the Alkalescens Dispar group and enteroinvasive strains. Discriminant analysis of the distribution of esterases among the strains revealed that Shigella could be distinguished from E. coli by differences in the distribution of allozymes of esterases C and I. Principal components analysis distinguished four major clusters of Shigella strains corresponding to the following: S. dysenteriae serotype 1; S. flexneri serotypes 1 to 5; S. flexneri serotype 6 and S. boydii serotypes 2 and 4; and S. sonnei. The last three were characterized by distinct electrophoretic variants of carboxylesterase B, as judged by the two-dimensional electrophoretic profile and titration curves. The distinct esterase pattern obtained for the strains of S. boydii serotype 13 substantiates the view that this serotype may constitute a new species.     

Differences among Shigella spp. in susceptibility to the bactericidal activity of human serum

Clinical isolates of Shigella spp. were examined for their susceptibility to human serum. The susceptibility of the strains to immune and nonimmune human serum was dependent upon the size of the bacterial inoculum and the concentration of serum. There were differences among Shigella spp. in susceptibility to human serum: S. sonnei strains were the least susceptible, strains of S. boydii and S. flexneri serotype 6 were intermediate, and those of S. flexneri other than serotype 6 and S. dysenteriae were the most susceptible. Experiments in which heat-treated (56 degrees C for 30 min, or 50 degrees C for 20 min) serum was used, and analysis of activation of complement by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from each Shigella sp., suggested that LPS composition, especially the O antigen polysaccharide chains, contributes to the differences among Shigella spp. in susceptibility to human serum.     

志贺菌福氏2a信号标签诱变突变体文库的构建

以合成的单链序列特异性标签为模板,通过PCR得到双链DNA标签并将其克隆到自杀质粒pUT-Tn5 Km2的转座子中,转化大肠杆菌S17-1λpir;然后用经转化的S17-1λpir与福氏志贺菌2a 2457T交配,挑出对氨苄青霉素敏感,对卡那霉素和萘啶酮酸抗性的菌落,结果表明构建了包含4376个福氏志贺菌突变体信号标签诱变库,为进一步鉴定该病原体的毒力基因打下了基础。     

Behavior of Coliphage Lambda in Shigella flexneri 2a

The insensitivity of wild-type Shigella flexneri 2a to coliphage lambda is a consequence of its native genetic defect in the malA gene cluster. The "smooth" S. flexneri 2a lipopolysaccharide layer affects the efficient adsorption of lambda. Derivatives, capable of serving as functional hosts for lambda, were obtained by repairing the malA lesion, enabling the expression of the malB-lambdarcp region of S. flexneri. Introduction of a mutation into S. flexneri causing a "rough" lipopolysaccharide character resulted in more efficient adsorption of lambda. Such S. flexneri hosts can be stably lysogenized and upon induction yield gal(+)-transducing lysates. Lambda propagated on a malA(+) rough S. flexneri host was restricted by Escherichia coli K-12 and E. coli B, but not by E. coli C. This S. flexneri host did not restrict lambda grown on these E. coli strains.     

Influence of different rol gene products on the chain length of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 lipopolysaccharide O antigen expressed by Shigella flexneri carrier strains.

Introduction of the rol genes of Shigella dysenteriae 1 and Escherichia coli K-12 into Shigella flexneri carrier strains expressing the heterologous S. dysenteriae type 1 lipopolysaccharide resulted in the formation of longer chains of S. dysenteriae 1 O antigen. In bacteria producing both homologous and heterologous O antigen, this resulted in a reduction of the masking of heterologous O antigen by homologous lipopolysaccharide and an increased immune response induced by intraperitoneal immunization of mice by recombinant bacteria. The rol genes of S. dysenteriae 1 and E. coli K-12 were sequenced, and their gene products were compared with the S. flexneri Rol protein. The primary sequence of S. flexneri Rol differs from both E. coli K-12 and S. dysenteriae 1 Rol proteins only at positions 267 and 270, which suggests that this region may be responsible for the difference in biological activities.