Zhang Peng, Wu Xiaofang, Ji Lei, Yan Wei, Chen Liping, Dong Fenfen
Microbiology Laboratory, Huzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2025 Apr 10;15:1574627. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1574627. eCollection 2025.
is a human pathogen capable of inducing bacterial gastroenteritis. Clinical strains of are considered pathogenic due to their possession of hemolysin and a type III secretion system (T3SS). Some environmental isolates are also acquiring corresponding virulence genes.
This study initially examines the infection characteristics of , and subsequently employs pan-genomic analysis to identify genes that exhibit significant differences in distribution between environmental and clinical isolates, thereby revealing their potential impact on virulence.
The epidemiological analysis of clinical isolates suggests that infections of are more prevalent in warm seasons, with O4:KUT serotype presenting more severe symptoms. OrthoFinder analysis revealed that environmental isolates possess a higher number of core genes. PEPPAN and KEGG analysis revealed that the 10 genes exclusively found in clinical isolates were predominantly associated with virulence. Additionally, the functions of genes differentially distributed in the environment were significantly more diverse compared to those in clinical settings. Analysis of mobile genetic elements suggested that environmental isolates harbor more mobile genetic elements, implying a potential for an increased number of resistance genes. The pathogenic characteristics of the strains examined in this study, genomic diversity and variation in mobile genetic elements are highly significant for deepening our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of and for the development of strategies to prevent its infections.
是一种能够引发细菌性肠胃炎的人类病原体。因其拥有溶血素和III型分泌系统（T3SS），的临床菌株被认为具有致病性。一些环境分离株也在获得相应的毒力基因。
本研究首先考察的感染特征，随后采用泛基因组分析来鉴定在环境分离株和临床分离株之间分布存在显著差异的基因，从而揭示它们对毒力的潜在影响。
临床分离株的流行病学分析表明，的感染在温暖季节更为普遍，O4:KUT血清型症状更为严重。OrthoFinder分析显示，环境分离株拥有更多的核心基因。PEPPAN和KEGG分析表明，仅在临床分离株中发现的10个基因主要与毒力相关。此外，与临床环境中的基因相比，在环境中差异分布的基因功能显著更多样化。移动遗传元件分析表明，环境分离株含有更多的移动遗传元件，这意味着耐药基因数量可能增加。本研究中检测菌株的致病特征、基因组多样性和移动遗传元件的变异对于深化我们对致病机制的理解以及制定预防其感染的策略具有重要意义。
