| Autor: |
Usein CR; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Oprea M; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Dinu S; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Popa LI; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Cristea D; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Militaru CM; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Ghiță A; Cantacuzino National Military Medical Institute of Research and Development, 050096 Bucharest, Romania., Costin M; Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children 'M.S. Curie', 041451 Bucharest, Romania.; Discipline Pediatrics-Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children M.S. Curie, University of Medicine and Pharmacy 'Carol Davila' Bucharest, 050474 Bucharest, Romania., Popa IL; Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children 'M.S. Curie', 041451 Bucharest, Romania.; Discipline Pediatrics-Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children M.S. Curie, University of Medicine and Pharmacy 'Carol Davila' Bucharest, 050474 Bucharest, Romania., Croitoru A; Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children 'M.S. Curie', 041451 Bucharest, Romania.; Discipline Pediatrics-Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children M.S. Curie, University of Medicine and Pharmacy 'Carol Davila' Bucharest, 050474 Bucharest, Romania., Bologa C; Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children 'M.S. Curie', 041451 Bucharest, Romania., Rusu LC; National Centre for Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control, National Public Health Institute, 050463 Bucharest, Romania. |
| Abstrakt: |
The zoonotic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) group is unanimously regarded as exceptionally hazardous for humans. This study aimed to provide a genomic perspective on the STEC recovered sporadically from humans and have a foundation of internationally comparable data. Fifty clinical STEC isolates, representing the culture-confirmed infections reported by the STEC Reference Laboratory between 2016 and 2023, were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis and sequences were interpreted using both commercial and public free bioinformatics tools. The WGS analysis revealed a genetically diverse population of STEC dominated by non-O157 serogroups commonly reported in human STEC infections in the European Union. The O26:H11 strains of ST21 lineage played a major role in the clinical disease resulting in hospitalisation and cases of paediatric HUS in Romania surpassing the O157:H7 strains. The latter were all clade 7 and mostly ST1804. Notably, among the Romanian isolates was a stx2a -harbouring cryptic clade I strain associated with a HUS case, stx2f - and stx2e -positive strains, and hybrid strains displaying a mixture of intestinal and extraintestinal virulence genes were found. As a clearer picture emerges of the STEC strains responsible for infections in Romania, further surveillance efforts are needed to uncover their prevalence, sources, and reservoirs. |
