Genomic Markers Distinguishing Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i>: Insights from Pangenome and Phylogenomic Analyses.

ABSTRACT: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are genetically diverse foodborne pathogens of major global public health concerns. Serogroup-level identification is critical for effective surveillance and outbreak control; however, it is often challenged by STEC's genome plasticity and frequent recombination. In this study, we employed a standardized pangenomic pipeline integrating Roary ILP Bacterial Core Annotation Pipeline (RIBAP) and Panaroo to analyze 160 complete, high-quality STEC genomes representing eight major serogroups at a 95% sequence identity threshold. Candidate serogroup-specific markers were identified using gene presence/absence profiles from RIBAP and Panaroo. Our analysis revealed several high-confidence markers, including metabolic genes (dgcE, fcl_

SUBMITTER: Elrefaey A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12472240 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature