Genomic characterization of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli from children in Mali.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is a cause of epidemic and sporadic diarrhea, yet its role as an enteric pathogen is not fully understood.

Methods

We characterized 121 EAEC strains isolated in 2008 as part of a case-control study of moderate to severe acute diarrhea among children 0-59 months of age in Bamako, Mali. We applied multiplex polymerase chain reaction and comparative genome hybridization to identify potential virulence factors among the EAEC strains, coupled with classification and regression tree modeling to reveal combinations of factors most strongly associated with illness.

Results

The gene encoding the autotransporter protease SepA, originally described in Shigella species, was most strongly associated with diarrhea among the EAEC

SUBMITTER: Boisen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3256949 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature