Genetic features of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from clinical cases of Argentina and Chile

GONZALEZ, JULIANA; CADONA, JIMENA SOLEDAD; ZOTTA, CLAUDIO MARCELO; LAVAYÉN, SILVINA; VIDAL, ROBERTO; PADOLA, NORA LÍA; SANSO, ANDREA MARIEL; BUSTAMANTE, ANA VICTORIA

MICROBES AND INFECTION

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2022 vol. 24

1286-4579

We aimed to compare the genetic diversity existing in VTEC O157:H7 strains isolated from cases ofhuman disease from Argentina and Chile. For it, 76 strains were studied in relation to the distribution ofgenes encoding virulence factors and subtyped by lineage-specific polymorphisms (LSPA-6), and phylogroups assignment. Our results show the almost exclusive circulation of VTEC O157:H7 isolatesbelonging to lineage I/II, associated with hypervirulent strains, and to the phylogroup E and, on the otherhand, genetic diversity present among Argentinean and Chilean strains analyzed, mainly in relation toputative virulence determinants and nle profiles.