Infect Immun, February 1998, p. 480-485, Vol. 66, No. 2
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Max von Pettenkofer Institut,
Received 28 August 1997/Returned for modification 15 October
1997/Accepted 25 November 1997
The fyuA-irp gene cluster contributes to the virulence
of highly pathogenic Yersinia (Yersinia pestis,
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and Yersinia
enterocolitica 1B). The cluster encodes an iron uptake system
mediated by the siderophore yersiniabactin and reveals features of a
pathogenicity island. Two evolutionary lineages of this "high
pathogenicity island" (HPI) can be distinguished on the basis of DNA
sequence comparison: a Y. pestis group and a Y. enterocolitica group. In this study we demonstrate that the HPI
of the Y. pestis evolutionary group is disseminated among species of the family Enterobacteriaceae which are
pathogenic to humans. It prevails in enteroaggregative
Escherichia coli and in E. coli blood culture
isolates (93 and 80%, respectively), but is rarely found in
enteropathogenic E. coli, enteroinvasive E. coli, and enterotoxigenic E. coli isolates. In
contrast, the HPI was absent from enterohemorrhagic E. coli, Shigella, and Salmonella enterica
strains investigated. Polypeptides encoded by the fyuA, irp1, and irp2 genes located on the HPI could
be detected in E. coli strains pathogenic to humans.
However, these E. coli strains showed a reduced sensitivity
to the bacteriocin pesticin, whose uptake is mediated by the FyuA
receptor. Escherichia strains do not possess the
hms gene locus thought to be a part of the HPI of Y. pestis. Deletions of the fyuA-irp gene cluster
affecting solely the fyuA part of the HPI were identified
in 3% of the E. coli strains tested. These results suggest
horizontal transfer of the HPI between Y. pestis and some
pathogenic E. coli strains.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Max von
Pettenkofer Institut, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, 80336 Munich, Germany. Phone:
49 0 89 5160 5200. Fax: 49 0 89 5380584. E-mail:
heesemann{at}m3401.mpk.med.uni-muenchen.de.
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