Zhang Peihua, Yan Guodong, Liu Qian, Yang Xi, Zhang Jie, Chen Xi, Wang Hong, Zhang Ling, Sui Xinxia, Bai Xiangning, Xiong Yanwen, Zhang Zhengdong
National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China.
Zigong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China.
Jpn J Infect Dis. 2025 Jan 23;78(1):19-27. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2024.209. Epub 2024 Sep 30.
Escherichia albertii is an emerging foodborne pathogen that causes diarrhea. Although various animals, especially poultry, serve as reservoirs of E. albertii, the transmission of E. albertii among reservoirs and the associated risks to humans remain unclear. This study investigated an E. albertii-infected infant exposed to poultry, and collected samples from contact persons, poultry, and the environment to better understand the transmission dynamics of E. albertii. One E. albertii isolate from a contact person, seven isolates from poultry, and six isolates from the environment were recovered. Whole-genome sequencing analysis showed that eight strains derived from poultry or environment and classified as ST4633 shared great similarity (core genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms [cgSNPs] ≤20). However, the patient-derived strain ESA311 had a cgSNP difference of 1165 with the human strain ESA339 and differed from poultry and environmental strains (cgSNP range 2417-14997), indicating distant relatedness. The whole-genome phylogeny showed that several human-derived E. albertii strains clustered with those of animal origin. Our results suggest that family-bred poultry constitute a possible reservoir for E. albertii, with the environment acting as a crucial vector for the spread of these bacteria and posing a risk to humans. Further surveillance of poultry is required to elucidate the public health risks associated with E. albertii infections.
阿尔伯特埃希氏菌是一种新出现的食源性病原体，可引起腹泻。尽管各种动物，尤其是家禽，是阿尔伯特埃希氏菌的宿主，但该菌在宿主间的传播以及对人类的相关风险仍不明确。本研究调查了一名接触家禽的感染阿尔伯特埃希氏菌的婴儿，并从接触者、家禽和环境中采集样本，以更好地了解阿尔伯特埃希氏菌的传播动态。从一名接触者中分离出1株阿尔伯特埃希氏菌，从家禽中分离出7株，从环境中分离出6株。全基因组测序分析表明，8株源自家禽或环境且归类为ST4633的菌株具有高度相似性（核心基因组单核苷酸多态性[cgSNP]≤20）。然而，患者来源的菌株ESA311与人类菌株ESA339的cgSNP差异为1165，且与家禽和环境菌株不同（cgSNP范围为2417 - 14997），表明亲缘关系较远。全基因组系统发育分析表明，几株人类来源的阿尔伯特埃希氏菌菌株与动物来源的菌株聚类在一起。我们的结果表明，家庭养殖的家禽可能是阿尔伯特埃希氏菌的宿主，环境是这些细菌传播的关键媒介，并对人类构成风险。需要进一步监测家禽，以阐明与阿尔伯特埃希氏菌感染相关的公共卫生风险。
