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Infection and Immunity, December 2002, p. 7185-7186, Vol. 70, No. 12
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.12.7185-7186.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Escherichia coli Pathogenicity Island-Like Domains


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In their molecular epidemiological analysis of Escherichia coli urosepsis isolates, Bingen-Bidois et al. interpret the finding of a pathogenicity island (PAI) IIJ96-like domain in multiple ribotypes as conflicting with previous reports, which ostensibly describe this element as being confined to a single clone (1). This is potentially misleading, since the two references cited actually pertain to papG allele I, which is a hallmark of a different PAI from that of strain J96, i.e., PAI I. Indeed, papG allele I, which was absent from the population analyzed by Bingen-Bidois et al. (rather than being found in multiple ribotypes), is quite rare, having been found almost exclusively in strains closely related to strain J96 (4). In contrast, many previous reports have documented the co-occurrence of papG allele III, hly, and cnf1 (which implies the presence of a PAI IIJ96-like domain, as discussed by Bingen-Bidois et al.) in multiple group B2-derived lineages (3). These include clonal groups 1 and 2 of Cherifi et al. (2) (which equate, respectively, electrophoretic types [ETs] 1 and 21 of Whittam et al. [7] and ETs 47 and 42 of Maslow et al. [6], the latter clonal group including archetypal strain 536), the O2:K5/K7:H1 clonal group (ET 39 of Maslow et al.), and the O18:K1:H7 clonal group that includes archetypal strains RS218 (meningitis) and NU14 (cystitis) (3, 5).


   REFERENCES
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 Letter
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Letter 
 References 
 
1. Bingen-Bidois, M., O. Clermont, S. Bonacorsi, M. Terki, N. Brahimi, C. Loukil, D. Barraud, and E. Bingen. 2002. Phylogenetic analysis and prevalence of urosepsis strains of Escherichia coli bearing pathogenicity island-like domains. Infect. Immun. 70:3216-3226.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Cherifi, A., M. Contrepois, B. Picard, P. Oullet, I. Orskov, F. Orskov, and J. De Rycke. 1991. Clonal relationships among Escherichia coli serogroup O6 isolates from human and animal infections. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 80:225-230.[CrossRef]
3. Johnson, J. R., T. T. O'Bryan, M. A. Kuskowski, and J. N. Maslow. 2001. Ongoing horizontal and vertical transmission of virulence genes and papA alleles among Escherichia coli blood isolates from patients with diverse-source bacteremia. Infect. Immun. 69:5363-5374.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
4. Johnson, J. R., A. L. Stell, N. Kaster, C. Fasching, and T. T. O'Bryan. 2001. Novel molecular variants of allele I of the Escherichia coli P fimbrial adhesin gene papG. Infect. Immun. 69:2318-2327.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
5. Johnson, J. R., S. J. Weissman, A. L. Stell, E. Tritchina, D. E. Dykhuizen, and E. V. Sokurenko. 2001. Clonal and pathotypic analysis of archetypal Escherichia coli cystitis isolate NU14. J. Infect. Dis. 184:1556-1565.[CrossRef][Medline]
6. Maslow, J. N., T. S. Whittam, C. F. Gilks, R. A. Wilson, M. E. Mulligan, K. S. Adams, and R. D. Arbeit. 1995. Clonal relationships among bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli. Infect. Immun. 63:2409-2417.[Abstract]
7. Whittam, T. S., M. L. Wolfe, and R. A. Wilson. 1989. Genetic relationships among Escherichia coli isolates causing urinary tract infections in humans and animals. Epidemiol. Infect. 102:37-46.[Medline]
James R. Johnson*
Infectious Diseases (111F)
Minneapolis VA Medical Center
1 Veterans Dr.
Minneapolis, MN 55417

* Phone: (612) 725-2000, ext. 4185
Fax: (612) 727-5995
E-mail: johns007{at}umn.edu.


Authors' Reply


   LETTER 
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We appreciate the opportunity to reply to the letter submitted by Dr. Johnson in response to our recent article (1). Concerning the references that we cited (8, 9), it must be mentioned that in those studies the J96-like strains contained not only papGI (potentially PAI I from strain J96) but also papGIII (potentially PAI II). We agree with Dr. Johnson that the co-occurrence of papGIII, hly, and cnf1 was found in multiple group B2-derived lineages (7). However, it must be pointed out not only that the presence of the PAI IIJ96-like domain in our collection of strains was deduced from the co-occurrence of papGIII, hly, and cnf1, as was suggested, but also that (i) we screened for the presence of the gene hra, another characteristic gene of this PAI, (ii) we demonstrated the colocalization of all these genes, and (iii) we determined their location in the vicinity of two different tRNA genes. We believe that these different characterizations are a minimal prerequisite to suggest the presence of a PAI IIJ96-like domain since the genes composing this PAI (e.g., pap or hly) may belong to several different PAIs (4). None of the reports cited have achieved such a characterization (3, 10, 11, 12).

Finally, we agree that O18:K1:H7, a very well-characterized clonal group (6, 7), harbored all of the characteristics mentioned, suggesting the presence of a PAI IJ96-like domain (2). However, this has only been firmly demonstrated very recently (5).


   REFERENCES 
Top
 Letter
 References
 Letter 
 References 
 
1. Bingen-Bidois, M., O. Clermont, S. Bonacorsi, M. Terki, N. Brahimi, C. Loukil, D. Barraud, and E. Bingen. 2002. Phylogenetic analysis and prevalence of urosepsis strains of Escherichia coli bearing pathogenicity island-like domains. Infect. Immun. 70:3216-3226.
2. Bonacorsi, S. P., O. Clermont, C. Tinsley, I. Le Gall, J. C. Beaudoin, J. Elion, X. Nassif, and E. Bingen. 2000. Identification of regions of the Escherichia coli chromosome specific for neonatal meningitis-associated strains. Infect. Immun. 68:2096-2101.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
3. Cherifi, A., M. Contrepois, B. Picard, P. Goullet, I. Orskov, F. Orskov, and J. De Rycke. 1991. Clonal relationships among Escherichia coli serogroup 06 isolates from human and animal infections. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 80:225-230.
4. Hacker, J., J. Blum-Oehler, B. Janke, G. Nagy, and W. Hoebel. 1999. Pathogenicity islands of extraintestinal Escherichia coli, p. 59-76. In J. B. Kaper and J. Hacker (ed.), Pathogenicity islands and other mobile virulence elements. ASM Press, Washington, D.C.
5. Houdouin, V., S. Bonacorsi, N. Brahimi, O. Clermont, X. Nassif, and E. Bingen. 2002. Uropathogenicity island contributes to the pathogenicity of Escherichia coli strains that cause neonatal meningitis. Infect. Immun 70: 5865-5869.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
6. Johnson, J. R., P. Delavari, and T. T. O'Bryan. 2001. Escherichia coli O18:K1:H7 isolates from patients with acute cystitis and neonatal meningitis exhibit common phylogenetic origins and virulence factor profiles. J. Infect. Dis. 183:425-434.[CrossRef][Medline]
7. Johnson, J. R., T. T. O'Bryan, M. Kuskowski, and J. N. Maslow. 2001. Ongoing horizontal and vertical transmission of virulence genes and papA alleles among Escherichia coli blood isolates from patients with diverse-source bacteremia. Infect. Immun. 69:5363-5374.
8. Johnson, J. R., T. A. Russo, F. Scheutz, J. J. Brown, L. Zhang, K. Palin, C. Rode, C. Bloch, C. F. Marrs, and B. Foxman. 1997. Discovery of disseminated J96-like strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli O4:H5 containing genes for both papG (J96) (class 1) and prsG (J96) (class III) Gal ({alpha}1-4) Gal-binding adhesins. J. Infect. Dis. 175:983-988.[Medline]
9. Johnson, J. R., A. E. Stapleton, T. A. Russo, F. Scheutz, J. J. Brown, and J. N. Maslow. 1997. Characteristics and prevalence within serogroup O4 of a J96-like clonal group of uropathogenic Escherichia coli O4:H5 containing the class I and class III alleles of papG. Infect. Immun. 65:2153-2159.[Abstract]
10. Johnson, J. R., S. J. Weissman, A. L. Stell, E. Trintchina, D. E. Dykhuizen, and E. V. Sokurenko. 2001. Clonal and pathotypic analysis of archetypal Escherichia coli cystitis isolate NU14. J. Infect. Dis. 184:1556-1565.
11. Maslow, J. N., T. S. Whittam, C. F. Gilks, R. A. Wilson, M. E. Mulligan, K. S. Adams, and R. D. Arbeit. 1995. Clonal relationships among bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli. Infect. Immun. 63:2409-2417.
12. Whittam, T. S., M. L. Wolfe, and R. A. Wilson. 1989. Genetic relationships among Escherichia coli isolates causing urinary tract infections in humans and animals. Epidemiol. Infect. 102:37-46.
Martine Bingen-Bidois
Mustapha Terki
Dominique Barraud
Laboratoire de Bactériologie
Centre Hospitalier de Gonesse
Gonesse, France

Stéphane Bonacorsi
Olivier Clermont
Naïma Brahimi
Chawki Loukil
Edouard Bingen*
Service de Microbiologie
Hôpital Robert Debré
48 boulevard Sérurier
Paris, France

* Phone: 33 1 40 03 23 40
Fax: 33 1 40 03 24 50
E-mail: edouard.bingen{at}rdb.ap-hop-paris.fr.

Infection and Immunity, December 2002, p. 7185-7186, Vol. 70, No. 12
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.12.7185-7186.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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