Genetic features of verotoxigenic #Escherichiacoli O157:H7 isolated from clinical cases of #Argentina and #Chile
Abstract
We aimed to compare the genetic diversity existing in VTEC O157:H7 strains isolated from cases of human disease from Argentina and Chile. For it, 76 strains were studied in relation to the distribution of genes encoding virulence factors and subtyped by lineage-specific polymorphisms (LSPA-6), and phylogroups assignment. Our results show the almost exclusive circulation of VTEC O157:H7 isolates belonging to lineage I/II, associated with hypervirulent strains, and to the phylogroup E and, on the other hand, genetic diversity present among Argentinean and Chilean strains analyzed, mainly in relation to putative virulence determinants and nle profiles.
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Figure. Minimum spanning tree of the 76 verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157:H7 isolates based on six putative virulence determinants (PVD) genes (ECSP_0242, ECSP_1773, ECSP_2687, ECSP_2870/2872, ECSP_3286 and ECSP_3620). The strains were grouped into fourteen profiles. Each circle represents a PVD profile; sizes of each circle corresponds to the number of isolates and the partitions into each circle represent the number of isolates for each profile.