Analysis of a Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Clonal Group by Multilocus Sequence Typing

Abstract

Although many strain typing methods exist for pathogenic Escherichia coli, most have drawbacks in terms of resolving power, interpretability, or scalability. For this reason, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is an appealing alternative. However, its applicability to different pathogens in specific epidemiologic contexts is not well understood. Here, we applied a previously established MLST method based on housekeeping genes to a well-characterized collection of uropathogenic E. coli isolates to compare the discriminatory ability of this procedure with that of enterobacterial repeat intergenic consensus (ERIC2) PCR, serogrouping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Among 45 E. coli isolates studied, 17 different multilocus sequence types (ST) were identified. One MLST group (designated ST69 complex) was comprised of 22 isolates, all belonging to uropathogenic and bacteremic E. coli strains previously defined as clonal group A (CgA) by ERIC2 PCR. The ST69 strains contained five different serogroups and 14 PFGE types. ERIC2 PCR CgA strains belonging to different MLST groups were also identified. Interestingly, one cow E. coli isolate, previously shown by PFGE to be closely related to a human uropathogenic CgA strain, was found to cluster with the ST69 strains. All of the other animal and environmental CgA isolates had different MLST profiles. The discriminatory power of this MLST method based on housekeeping genes appears to be higher than that of ERIC2 PCR but lower than that of PFGE for epidemiologic study of uropathogenic E. coli.

Characterization of sulphonamide-resistant Escherichia coli using comparison of sul2 gene sequences and multilocus sequence typing

“…Three isolates from poultry meat, a healthy human and a blood infection belonged to CC69. This clonal complex is mainly represented by human UTI and bacteraemia E. coli isolates, although it has also been found in cow and sheep isolates (Tartof et al, 2005). Fig.…”

Dissemination of Clonally RelatedEscherichia coliStrains Expressing Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase CTX-M-15

“…The fumC sequences of the remaining 6 E. coli D strains were highly diverse (alleles 4, 13, 26, 88, and 132). None of the strains had the C288T single nucleotide polymorphism specifi c for E. coli strain CgA (28). All 3 B1 isolates were found in France.…”

“…All fumC sequences from E. coli isolates belonging to phylogroup D were analyzed for a C288T single nucleotide polymorphism. This polymorphism is specifi c for a globally disseminated E. coli strain arbitrarily designated as E. coli clonal group A (CgA) that is associated with community-acquired urinary tract infections (27,28).…”

Escherichia coli colonizing the neurogenic bladder are similar to widespread clones causing disease in patients with normal bladder function

“…As a result, MLST is highly reproducible and comparable between laboratories in different countries. 8 There is no information on the sequence type (ST) or phylogenetic group of E. coli carried in the urine of patients with neurogenic bladder, nor how they are genetically related to other pathogens. 9 Analysis of clones from the neurogenic bladder by MLST would allow comparison to known pathogenic strains of E. coli and would further our understanding of chronic bacteriuria in this population.…”