{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Wang L"],"funding":["China Scholarship Council","Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation Grants","Scandinavian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Foundation"],"pagination":["589"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10975849"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["12(3)"],"pubmed_abstract":["Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) infection can cause a broad spectrum of symptoms spanning from asymptomatic shedding to mild and bloody diarrhea (BD) and even life-threatening hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). As a member of the serine protease autotransporters of <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> (SPATE) family, EspP has the ability to degrade human coagulation factor V, leading to mucosal bleeding, and also plays a role in bacteria adhesion to the surface of host cells. Here, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of <i>espP</i> among clinical STEC isolates from patients with mild diarrhea, BD, and HUS, as well as from asymptomatic individuals, and assessed the presence of <i>espP</i> and its subtypes in correlation to disease severity. We found that 130 out of 239 (54.4%) clinical STEC strains were <i>espP</i> positive, and the presence of <i>espP</i> was significantly associated with BD, HUS, and O157:H7 serotype. Eighteen unique <i>espP</i> genotypes (GTs) were identified and categorized into four <i>espP</i> subtypes, i.e., <i>espP</i>α (119, 91.5%), <i>espP</i>γ (5, 3.8%), <i>espP</i>δ (4, 3.1%), and <i>espP</i>ε (2, 1.5%). <i>espP</i>α was widely distributed, especially in strains from patients with BD and HUS, and correlated with serotype O157:H7. Serogroup O26, O145, O121, and O103 strains carried <i>espP</i>α only. Ten GTs were identified in <i>espP</i>α, and <i>espP</i>α/GT2 was significantly associated with severe disease, i.e., BD and HUS. Additionally, <i>espP</i> was strongly linked to the presence of <i>eae</i> gene, and the coexistence of <i>espP</i>α and <i>stx2</i>/<i>stx2a</i> + <i>stx2c</i> was closely related to HUS status. To sum up, our data demonstrated a high prevalence and genetic diversity of the <i>espP</i> gene in clinical STEC strains in Sweden and revealed an association between the presence of <i>espP</i>, <i>espP</i> subtypes, and disease severity. <i>espP</i>, particularly the <i>espP</i>α subtype, was prone to be present in more virulent STEC strains, e.g., \"top-six\" serotypes strains."],"journal":["Microorganisms"],"pubmed_title":["Prevalence and Characteristics of Plasmid-Encoded Serine Protease EspP in Clinical Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> Strains from Patients in Sweden."],"pmcid":["PMC10975849"],"funding_grant_id":["202109370052","SLS884041","2022-01818"],"pubmed_authors":["Hua Y","Mernelius S","Hansson S","Zhang J","Matussek A","Bai X","Chromek M","Wang L","Frykman A"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Prevalence and Characteristics of Plasmid-Encoded Serine Protease EspP in Clinical Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> Strains from Patients in Sweden.","description":"Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) infection can cause a broad spectrum of symptoms spanning from asymptomatic shedding to mild and bloody diarrhea (BD) and even life-threatening hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). As a member of the serine protease autotransporters of <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> (SPATE) family, EspP has the ability to degrade human coagulation factor V, leading to mucosal bleeding, and also plays a role in bacteria adhesion to the surface of host cells. Here, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of <i>espP</i> among clinical STEC isolates from patients with mild diarrhea, BD, and HUS, as well as from asymptomatic individuals, and assessed the presence of <i>espP</i> and its subtypes in correlation to disease severity. We found that 130 out of 239 (54.4%) clinical STEC strains were <i>espP</i> positive, and the presence of <i>espP</i> was significantly associated with BD, HUS, and O157:H7 serotype. Eighteen unique <i>espP</i> genotypes (GTs) were identified and categorized into four <i>espP</i> subtypes, i.e., <i>espP</i>α (119, 91.5%), <i>espP</i>γ (5, 3.8%), <i>espP</i>δ (4, 3.1%), and <i>espP</i>ε (2, 1.5%). <i>espP</i>α was widely distributed, especially in strains from patients with BD and HUS, and correlated with serotype O157:H7. Serogroup O26, O145, O121, and O103 strains carried <i>espP</i>α only. Ten GTs were identified in <i>espP</i>α, and <i>espP</i>α/GT2 was significantly associated with severe disease, i.e., BD and HUS. Additionally, <i>espP</i> was strongly linked to the presence of <i>eae</i> gene, and the coexistence of <i>espP</i>α and <i>stx2</i>/<i>stx2a</i> + <i>stx2c</i> was closely related to HUS status. To sum up, our data demonstrated a high prevalence and genetic diversity of the <i>espP</i> gene in clinical STEC strains in Sweden and revealed an association between the presence of <i>espP</i>, <i>espP</i> subtypes, and disease severity. <i>espP</i>, particularly the <i>espP</i>α subtype, was prone to be present in more virulent STEC strains, e.g., \"top-six\" serotypes strains.","dates":{"release":"2024-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2024 Mar","modification":"2025-04-26T11:21:08.672Z","creation":"2025-04-06T13:42:04.697Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC10975849","cross_references":{"pubmed":["38543640"],"doi":["10.3390/microorganisms12030589"]}}