O‑Island 28 encodes a type I secretion and RTX adhesion system regulated by RstA and required for early EHEC O157:H7 adherence.

ABSTRACT: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a leading foodborne pathogen worldwide that causes severe diarrheal disease, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome, representing a significant threat to public health. O-islands are discrete genomic regions absent from nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 but present in EHEC O157:H7, many of which correspond to or overlap with pathogenicity islands (PAIs) that contribute to virulence. Among these O-islands, O‑Island 28 (OI‑28) in EHEC O157:H7 is a conserved genomic island predicted to encode a complete type I secretion system (T1SS) and two RTX family proteins, but its role in pathogenesis has remained unclear. Here, we show that deletion of OI‑28 markedly reduces epithelial adherence and intestinal colonization in mice without

SUBMITTER: Niu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12758282 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature