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. 2020 Jan 6;17(1):366.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17010366.

Extended Phylogeny and Extraintestinal Virulence Potential of Commensal Escherichia coli from Piglets and Sows

Ewa Bok  1 , Aleksandra Kożańska  2 , Justyna Mazurek-Popczyk  1 , Magdalena Wojciech  3 , Katarzyna Baldy-Chudzik  1
Affiliations

Extended Phylogeny and Extraintestinal Virulence Potential of Commensal Escherichia coli from Piglets and Sows

Ewa Bok et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Commensal Escherichia coli, naturally occurring in the intestinal tract, can be the origin of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains. ExPEC causes high mortality and significant economic losses in the swine industry in several countries and poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyze the extended phylogenetic structure and extraintestinal virulence potential in two groups of commensal E. coli isolates from post-weaning piglets and sows. The phylogenetic assignment to eight groups was determined using the revised Clermont phylogenetic typing method in quadruplex PCR. Identification of extraintestinal virulence genes (VGs) and adhesin operon genes was performed using multiplex or simplex PCR. The revised phylogenetic assignment allowed us to distinguish E. coli with significantly higher (groups C and F) or lower (group E) virulence potential in isolates from piglets. The majority of the tested VGs occurred more frequently in isolates from piglets than from sows, with statistically significant differences for seven genes: fimH, papAH, iutA, iroN, ompT, traT, and iss. Complete operons for type I and P fimbriae significantly prevailed among E. coli from piglets. This study provides insight into the extended phylogenetic structure of porcine commensal E. coli and showed that these strains, particularly from piglets, constitute a considerable reservoir of extraintestinal VGs and may increase the potential risk of extraintestinal infections.

Keywords: commensal Escherichia coli; nonlinear mixed models; phylogenetic typing; piglets; sows; virulence genes (VGs).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Extended phylogenetic structure of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates derived from piglets and sows. Note: NT— not typeable.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Statistical association between VGs of the E. coli isolates derived from piglets (the part above the diagonal) and sows (the part under the diagonal). No values were introduced in the case of undetected genes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency of the gene combinations within the structure of (A) type 1 and (B) P fimbriae operons among the E. coli isolates from piglets and sows. Note: The gene combinations within the structure of type 1 fimbriae operon: Complete operon: fimB-fimE-fimA-fimI-fimC-fimH; Without 1 gene: fimB-fimE-fimI-fimC-fimH; Without 2 genes: fimB-fimI-fimC-fimH, fimB-fimE-fimC-fimH, fimE-fimI-fimC-fimH; Without 3 genes: fimB-fimC-fimH, fimB-fimA-fimH, fimI-fimC-fimH, fimB-fimE-fimH; Without 4 genes: fimB-fimH, fimC-fimH, fimI-fimH; Without 5 genes: fimH. The gene combinations within the structure of P fimbriae operon: Complete operon: papAH-papC-papEF-papG; Without 1 gene: papAH-papC-papEF; Without 2 genes: papAH-papC. * Statistically significant.
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