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Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 632-644, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.632-644.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Institute of Microbiology, ETH Hönggerberg, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland,1 Institute of Clinical Pathology, Universitätsspital Zürich, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland,2 Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, D-81675 München, Germany,3 Division of Environmental Microbiology, Institute for Animal Health, Compton Laboratory, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 7NN, United Kingdom4
Received 4 June 2005/ Returned for modification 14 July 2005/ Accepted 9 October 2005
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There is a large body of epidemiologic data on the host specificity of different S. enterica subspecies I serovars. The serovars Paratyphi A, Gallinarum, and Pullorum are restricted to specific hosts: serovar Paratyphi A causes a systemic disease (paratyphoid) in humans (22, 46), serovar Pullorum causes the systemic pullorum disease in poultry; in freshly hatched chicks, serovar Pullorum causes high mortality and also intestinal inflammation (10); serovar Gallinarum causes the severe systemic fowl typhoid disease in poultry and a few other avian species. Experimental evidence suggests that serovars Gallinarum and Pullorum do not cause disease in mice (1). In spite of some elegant experimental work comparing the virulence characteristics of several different serovars (8, 21, 28, 32, 33, 47, 49, 52), the molecular mechanisms responsible for the host restriction of Gallinarum, Pullorum, or Paratyphi A are still poorly understood. A combination of genome analyses of host restricted serovars and studies in suitable animal models may allow deeper insights.
Some S. enterica subspecies 1 serovars show a preference for certain hosts but are not entirely restricted to them, e.g., serovar Dublin is adapted to cattle, where it causes systemic and enteric disease. Infrequently, serovar Dublin causes septicemia and enteric disease in humans (24). In laboratory settings serovar Dublin was found capable of causing typhoid fever-like infections in mice (1). Several key virulence factors of serovar Dublin have been characterized (50, 55). The identification of further virulence factors will be fueled by the ongoing serovar Dublin genomic sequencing project (P. Barrow, personal communication).
S. enterica subspecies 1 serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis infect a broad range of host animals. Interestingly, they cause different diseases in different animal species. In calves, serovar Typhimurium (and rarely Enteritidis [34]) causes enterocolitis, and the animals can succumb to dehydration (15, 42, 43, 51). In newly hatched chicks, serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium cause systemic disease and diarrhea, whereas older chickens are asymptomatic carriers (2, 3, 6, 54). In immunocompetent humans, serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium cause localized self-limiting enterocolitis. Systemic disease may develop in immunocompromised individuals (26). Finally, serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium cause a systemic typhoidfever-like disease (5, 12, 44) in susceptible mouse strains, but no diarrhea. The mechanisms determining which type of disease is caused in which host by serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium are still poorly understood.
In the case of serovar Typhimurium infections, the intestinal microflora is an important factor (termed "colonization resistance" [48] or "microbial interference" [30]) in determining whether enteric disease can develop or not. This was demonstrated with germfree mice lacking the entire microflora and with streptomycin-pretreated mice which have a severely disrupted intestinal microflora (4, 13, 41). In the absence of an intact intestinal microflora, serovar Typhimurium not only causes the well-known systemic disease but also colonizes the murine cecum and colon and causes pronounced colitis. This streptomycin-pretreated mouse model has proven useful to study key aspects of the molecular pathogenesis of serovar Typhimurium enterocolitis (17-19, 40). Here, we have extended our studies and tested the virulence of several host-restricted and further broad-host-range S. enterica subspecies 1 serovars, including 6 strains whose genomic sequence has been or will soon be completed. Our data establish that the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model is not restricted to serovar Typhimurium. It also can serve as an interesting additional tool for studying tissue colonization and intestinal inflammation by serovars Enteritidis, Dublin, and Pullorum and even by one highly virulent strain of serovar Gallinarum.
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View this table: [in a new window] |
TABLE 1. Bacterial
strains used in this work
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Animal experiments. Animal experiments were performed as described previously (4) by using specific-pathogen-free female C57BL/6 mice that were 6 to 8 weeks old and were obtained from Harlan (Horst, The Netherlands). Briefly, mice were pretreated with 20 mg of streptomycin 1 day prior to infection with ca. 5 x 107 CFU of the indicated bacterial strain. At the indicated times postinfection (p.i.) the mice were sacrificed, and we analyzed intestinal inflammation and bacterial loads in the intestinal tract, spleen, and liver (4). Animal experiments were approved by the Swiss authorities and were performed according to the legal requirements.
Analysis of Salmonella loads in cecal lumen, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. To analyze colonization, the spleen, liver, and the mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN) were removed aseptically and homogenized in PBS (containing 0.5% Tergitol and 0.5% bovine serum albumin) at 4°C as described previously (4). The bacterial loads were determined by plating samples on MacConkey agar plates containing 50 µg of streptomycin per ml. The minimal detectable level was 10 CFU/organ for the mLN, 20 CFU/organ for the spleen, and 100 CFU/organ for the liver. The bacterial loads in the cecum content were determined by plating. The minimum detectable level was between 67 and 400 CFU per 25- to 150-mg sample of intestinal contents.
Histological procedures.
Tissue samples
were cryo-embedded, stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and
evaluated as described recently
(4,
40). Briefly, we
evaluated (i) submucosal edema (score: 0, no pathological changes; 1,
detectable edema [submucosal edema, <10%]; 2, moderate edema
[submucosal edema, 10 to 40%]; 3, profound edema [submucosal edema,
40%]), (ii) polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)
infiltration into the lamina propria (score: 0, fewer than 5 PMN per
high-power field; 1, 5 to 20 PMN per high-power field; 2, 21 to 60 PMN
per high-power field; 3, 61 to 100 PMN per high-power field; 4, more
than 100 PMN per high-power field), (iii) goblet cells (score: 0, more
than 28 goblet cells per high-power field; 1, 11 to 28 goblet cells per
high-power field; 2, 1 to 10 goblet cells per high-power field; 3,
fewer than 1 goblet cell per high-power field), and (iv) epithelial
integrity (score: 0, no pathological changes detectable; 1, epithelial
desquamation; 2, erosion of the epithelial surface; 3, epithelial
ulceration). The combined scores indicated the following conditions: 0,
intestine intact without any signs of inflammation; 1 to 2, minimal
signs of inflammation (frequently found in the cecum of
specific-pathogen-free mice); 3 to 4, slight inflammation; 5 to 8,
moderate inflammation; and 9 to 13, profound
inflammation.
Statistical analysis. Statistical analyses of the individual pathological scores for submucosal edema, PMN infiltration, loss of goblet cells, and epithelial integrity and of the combined pathological score were performed by using the exact Mann-Whitney U test and the SPSS software, version 11.0, as described previously (4). P values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Bacterial colonization was analyzed in a similar manner. To allow statistical analysis of the bacterial loads, the values used for animals that yielded no CFU were set to the "minimal detectable levels" (mLN, 10 CFU; spleen, 20 CFU; liver, 100 CFU; intestinal contents, between 67 and 400 CFU [see above]). After this, the median values were calculated by using Microsoft Excel XP, and a statistical analysis was performed by using the exact Mann-Whitney U test and the SPSS software, version 11.0. P values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
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Colonization of livers and spleens by serovars Dublin (SARB13),Paratyphi A (SARB42), Gallinarum (X3796), and Pullorum (X3543) was detectable but less efficient (P = 0.002; 1.5 to 2.5 logs lower) than colonization by serovars Typhimurium (SL1344) and Enteritidis (125109; 105 CFU per organ).
Serovars Pullorum (X3543), Enteritidis (125109), and Typhimurium (SL1344) efficiently colonized the mLN (ca. 105 CFU; Fig. 1D). Lymph node colonization by serovars Dublin (SARB13), Paratyphi A (SARB42), and Gallinarum (X3796) was significantly less efficient (P = 0.002; Fig. 1D; ca. 5 x 102 CFU). In the cecal contents, serovar Paratyphi A (SARB42) was present in low densities (Fig. 1A; 103 to 104 CFU/g). Serovars Dublin (SARB13), Gallinarum (X3796), and Pullorum (X3543) were present at densities of 105 to 106 CFU/g in the cecal lumen, whereas cecal colonization by serovars Enteritidis (125109) and Typhimurium (SL1344) was even more efficient (109 CFU/g; Fig. 1A).
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FIG. 1. Virulence
of different S. enterica serovars in streptomycin pretreated
mice. Six (or five) streptomycin-pretreated mice were infected for 3
days with 5 x 107 CFU of the indicated serovar
(Typhimurium SL1344, Dublin SARB13, Paratyphi A SARB42, Pullorum X3543,
Gallinarum X3796, and Enteritidis 125109). (A to E) Bacterial loads in
the cecal content (A), the liver (B), the spleen (C), and the mLN (D).
The dotted line indicates the limits of detection, and the horizontal bars indicate the medians.
(E) Histopathological analysis. HE-stained sections of cecal tissue
were scored for edema in the submucosa (black bars); PMN infiltration
(black dotted bars); reduction in the number of goblet cells (white
dotted bars); and desquamation, erosion, and ulceration of the
epithelial layer (white bars) (see Materials and Methods). The scores
are expressed as stacked vertical bars. Differences in colonization or
the total pathological score (sum of the separate scores) were
statistically analyzed by using the exact Mann-Whitney U test (in
comparison to SL1344).
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FIG. 2. Cecal
inflammation at 3 days p.i. HE-stained cecal tissue sections from six
representative animals of the experiment shown in Fig.
1. The cecal tissues were
obtained from mice infected with serovar Typhimurium SL1344 (A and D),
serovar Dublin SARB13 (B and E), serovar Paratyphi A SARB42 (C and F),
serovar Pullorum X3543 (G and J), serovar Gallinarum X3796 (H and K),
or serovar Enteritidis 125109 (I and L). Boxes in panels A, B, C, G, H,
and I indicate the area shown at the higher magnification. L,
intestinal lumen; e, edema; g, goblet cell; sa, submucosa.
Magnifications are indicated by the black bars. Scale bars: A, B, C, G,
H, and I, 200 µm; D, E, F, J, K, and L, 100
µm.
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Virulence of different isolates from the same serovar. The data above demonstrated that certain strains of broad-host-range (e.g., Enteritidis 125109), host-adapted (e.g., Dublin SARB13), and host-restricted (e.g., Pullorum X3543) S. enterica subspecies 1 serovars can cause colitis in streptomycin-pretreated mice, whereas others (e.g., Gallinarum) were not (Fig. 1). However, it had remained unclear whether this capacity to cause intestinal inflammation (or not) was attributable to serovar-specific virulence functions. Considering that the assignment of serovars is based on phenotypic properties (lipopolysaccharide and flagellar antigens) and not on phylogenetic relationship, it was conceivable that the virulence might differ significantly between different strains of the same serovar. To test this hypothesis, we compared the virulence of different strains of serovars Dublin (SARB13, SD2229, and SD3246), Gallinarum (X3796 and 287/91), Pullorum (X3543, 449/87) and Enteritidis (125109, 5496/98, and 832/99). This included three strains (SD2229, 287/91, and 449/87) whose genomic sequence will be available in the near future (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/Salmonella/; P. Barrow, personal communication). Groups of five streptomycin-pretreated C57BL/6 mice were infected for 3 days with the indicated strains, and we analyzed colonization of the cecal lumen, liver, spleen, and mLN, as well as intestinal inflammation (see Materials and Methods).
Serovar Dublin. The virulence of the three serovar Dublin strains (SARB13, SD2229, and SD3246) differed significantly. SD2229 was more efficient than SARB13 and SD3246 at colonizing liver and spleen (105 versus 103 to 104 CFU/organ; P = 0.008; Fig. 3B and C). Furthermore, SD2229 colonized the cecal lumen (109 CFU/g) and the mLN (105 CFU) more efficiently than the other two serovar Dublin strains (Fig. 3A and D). Pronounced inflammation was evident in the ceca and colons of mice infected with SD2229 and SARB13 (Fig. 3E; data not shown), whereas SD3246 caused only mild colitis. Clearly, the serovar Dublin strain SD2229 was more virulent in the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model than the other two strains tested. In fact, tissue colonization by SD2229 and the extent of the cecal inflammation were similar to that observed with the serovar Typhimurium (SL1344) control strain (Fig. 1) (19).
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FIG. 3. Serovar
Dublin colitis in the streptomycin-pretreated mice. Five
streptomycin-pretreated mice were infected for 3 days with 5 x
107 CFU of serovar Dublin strains SARB13, SD2229, or SD3246.
(A to E) Bacterial loads in the cecal content (A), the liver (B), the
spleen (C), and the mLN (D). The dotted line indicates the limit of
detection, and the horizontal bars indicate the medians. (E)
Histopathological analysis. HE-stained sections of cecal tissue were
scored for edema in the submucosa (black bars); PMN infiltration (black
dotted bars); reduction in the number of goblet cells (white dotted
bars); and desquamation, erosion, and ulceration of the epithelial
layer (white bars) (see Materials and Methods). The scores are
expressed as stacked vertical bars. Differences in colonization or the
total pathological score (sum of the separate scores) were
statistically analyzed by using the exact Mann-Whitney U
test.
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FIG. 4. Virulence
of Gallinarum and Pullorum strains in streptomycin-pretreated mice.
Five streptomycin pretreated mice were infected for 3 days with 5
x 107 CFU of serovar Gallinarum X3796, Gallinarum
287/91, Pullorum X3543, or Pullorum 449/87. (A to E) Bacterial loads in
the cecal content (A), the liver (B), the spleen (C), and the mLN (D).
The dotted line indicates the limit of detection, and the horizontal
bars indicate the medians. (E) Histopathological analysis.
HE-stained sections of cecal tissue were scored for edema in the
submucosa (black bars), PMN infiltration (black dotted bars), reduction
in the number of goblet cells (white dotted bars), and desquamation,
erosion, and ulceration of the epithelial layer (white bars) (see
Materials and Methods). The scores are expressed as stacked vertical
bars. Differences in colonization or the total pathological score (sum
of the separate scores) were statistically analyzed by using the exact
Mann-Whitney U
test.
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FIG. 5. Histopathological
changes in mice infected with serovar Gallinarum 287/91 at 3 days p. i.
A representative image of the cecal tissue from the experiment shown in
Fig. 5 is shown. The
5-µm cecal tissue section was stained with HE. (A and B) Cecum
of streptomycin-pretreated mouse infected with serovar Gallinarum
strain SG287/91. (C) Enlarged sections showing PMNs. The
images are representative for all animals from each group. Box in
panels A indicates the area shown at the higher magnification. L,
intestinal lumen; e, edema; p, PMN; sa, submucosa. Magnifications are
indicated by the black bars. Scale bars: A, 200 µm; B, 100
µm; C, 20
µm.
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FIG. 6. Virulence
of serovar Enteritidis strains in streptomycin-pretreated mice. Five
streptomycin-pretreated mice were infected for 3 days with
5 x 107 CFU of serovar Enteritidis
strain 125109, 5496/98, or 832/99. (A to E) Bacterial loads in the
cecal content (A), the liver (B), the spleen (C), and the
mLN (D). The dotted line indicates the limits of detection, and the
horizontal bars indicate the medians. (E) Histopathological
analysis. HE-stained sections of cecal tissue were scored for edema in
the submucosa (black bars); PMN infiltration (black dotted bars);
reduction in the number of goblet cells (white dotted bars); and
desquamation, erosion, and ulceration of the epithelial layer (white
bars) (see Materials and Methods). The scores are expressed as stacked
vertical bars. Differences in colonization or the total pathological
score (sum of the separate scores) were statistically analyzed by using
the exact Mann-Whitney U
test.
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Serovar Paratyphi A.
To analyze strain-specific
virulence characteristics, we compared the serovar Paratyphi A strain
SARB42 with two Paratyphi A patient isolates from Germany (2804/96 and
5314/98; Table 1).
Paratyphi A strains 2804/96 and 5314/98 colonized the large intestine
of streptomycin pretreated mice more efficiently than SARB42 (Fig.
7). However, bacterial densities were still
100-fold lower than in
serovar Typhimurium- or Enteritidis-infected mice (Fig.
1 and
6). All other virulence
parameters (colonization of mLN, spleen, or liver; lack of cecal
inflammation) were quite similar between all three Paratyphi A isolates
(Fig. 7). These data
indicate that "avirulence" in the streptomycin
pretreated mouse model may be a common characteristic of serovar
Paratyphi A strains.
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FIG. 7. Virulence
of serovar Paratyphi A strains in streptomycin-pretreated mice. Five
streptomycin-pretreated mice were infected for 3 days with 5 x
107 CFU of serovar Paratyphi A strain SARB42, 2804/96, or
5314/98. (A to E) Bacterial loads in the cecal content (A), the liver
(B), the spleen (C), and the mLN (D). The dotted line indicates the
limits of detection, and the horizontal bars indicate the medians.
(E) Histopathological analysis. HE-stained sections of cecal
tissue were scored for edema in the submucosa (black bars); PMN
infiltration (black dotted bars); reduction in the number of goblet
cells (white dotted bars); and desquamation, erosion, and ulceration of
the epithelial layer (white bars) (see Materials and Methods). The
scores are expressed as stacked vertical bars. Differences in
colonization or the total pathological score (sum of the separate
scores) were statistically analyzed by using the exact Mann-Whitney U
test.
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invG)
(23) served as controls.
In line with the mouse virulence data, all three Enteritidis strains
were highly invasive (Fig.
8). As expected for nonflagellated Salmonella spp.
(14), Gallinarum and
Pullorum strains were not highly invasive. Nevertheless, the strain
(Gallinarum 287/91) most virulent in the mouse model also showed the
highest invasion efficiency among the strains tested (Fig.
8).
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FIG. 8. Invasion
assay. Invasion of polarized m-ICcl2 cells by different
strains of serovar Dublin, Paratyphi A, Gallinarum, Pullorum, and
Enteritidis. Typhimurium SL1344 and SB161 (SL1344,
invG) served as a control. The data are normalized to
the number of CFU recovered from the wells infected with Typhimurium
SL1344. The data are presented as the mean (± the standard
deviation) of triplicate results obtained in three independent
experiments.
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In conclusion, we identified some parallels but also clear differences between virulence in the mouse model and tissue culture invasiveness. It should be noted that the correlation between invasion efficiency in tissue culture and triggering of intestinal inflammation in animal models is only poorly understood. Future work will have to address this issue in more detail.
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Clearly, the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model is a surrogate host model because mice with an intact intestinal microflora do not normally get overt intestinal inflammation from any S. enterica serovar. Nevertheless, it should be noted that most of the serovars analyzed are actually capable of causing colitis in at least some of their natural hosts. Serovar Enteritidis is a frequent cause of enterocolitis in humans, serovar Pullorum does cause diarrhea in freshly hatched birds (39, 53), serovar Dublin can cause intestinal inflammation in calves, and human cases of serovar Dublin colitis have also been observed (44, 50). Our observations suggest that the streptomycin pretreated mouse model provides an interesting new tool for studying virulence factors of serovars Enteritidis, Pullorum, and Dublin which are involved in intestinal inflammation. In these cases it will be of great advantage that the genomes of the murine host and the genomes of the pathogen are (or will soon be) known at the nucleotide level. Both, the host and the pathogen are amenable to efficient genetic manipulation. The use of knockout bacteria and knockout mice (e.g., mice deficient in innate immune response pathways), transgenic animals, and sophisticated tools for studying murine inflammation and immune responses will allow developing working models which can later be tested in the respective natural host species.
In contrast to the serovars Dublin, Enteritidis, and Pullorum, the host-restricted serovar Gallinarum hardly ever causes enterocolitis in any animal host. In line with this notion, serovar Gallinarum strain X3796 did not cause intestinal inflammation in streptomycin-pretreated mice even though it was present in the intestinal lumen, mLN, liver and spleen in similar (though low) numbers as serovar Pullorum strain 449/87, a strain that did cause colitis (Fig. 4). Considering that Gallinarum is a host-restricted serovar, it was surprising to find that another strain of serovar Gallinarum (287/91) did cause pronounced colitis in streptomycin-pretreated mice (Fig. 4). Moreover, this strain was highly efficient at colonizing the intestines, mLN, and internal organs. Similarly, a recent study in the bovine model had found that serovar Gallinarum strains SG9 and SGJ91, which were avirulent upon oral inoculation, could induce inflammatory responses in ligated bovine ileal loops (33). Thus, in the absence of competition by an intact intestinal microflora, virulent serovar Gallinarum strains may indeed cause intestinal inflammation. In line with this notion, a few cases of serovar Gallinarum enteritis have also been reported in animals and humans (1, 11, 32). Most of the reports date back to times when serovar Gallinarum was still endemic in the chicken flocks and infections with high doses of this serovar were more likely. In conclusion, there are at least two alternative explanations for the distinct virulence of serovar Gallinarum strains X3796 and 287/91, which we have observed in our study. (i) 287/91 may have acquired additional virulence functions that are normally not present in serovar Gallinarum strains. Experiments in other animal models would be helpful to substantiate this hypothesis. Furthermore, the genomic sequence of this strain that is currently being completed at the Sanger Center (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/Salmonella/) may help to identify putative 287/91-specific virulence factors. (ii) Strain X3796 may lack one or more virulence factors. For example, virulence genes might have been disrupted or lost during strain storage. Future work will address this issue. Anyway, our data confirm that virulence characteristics can differ significantly between strains of the same serovar. This should be kept in mind when published data are interpreted and in future studies aimed at identifying serovar-specific virulence factors.
We have demonstrated that the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model can provide a useful additional tool for studying virulence functions of other S. enterica serovars besides Typhimurium. This is of considerable interest because it allows taking advantage of a relatively cheap, well-defined, and genetically amenable animal model for analyzing hypotheses that are being developed based on in silico studies of the ever-increasing number of sequenced Salmonella genomes. The virulence data for a total of six sequenced S. enterica subspecies I strains in the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model provide an excellent starting point for this genome-inspired research in Salmonella pathogenesis.
This study was funded in part by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (3100A0-100175) to W.-D.H.
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28) regulates the expression of
Salmonella genes associated with the centisome 63 type III
secretion system. Infect. Immun.
68:2735-2743.
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