This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Johnson, J. R. Articles by Prats, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Johnson, J. R. Articles by Prats, G.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2002, p. 1913-1923, Vol. 40, No. 6
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.6.1913-1923.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Global Molecular Epidemiology of the O15:K52:H1 Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Clonal Group: Evidence of Distribution beyond Europe

James R. Johnson,^1,2* Adam L. Stell,^1,2, Timothy T. O'Bryan,^1,2 Michael Kuskowski,^3,4 Bogdan Nowicki,⁵ Candice Johnson,⁶ Joel N. Maslow,⁷ Anil Kaul,^8, Justine Kavle,^1,2, and Guillem Prats^10,||

Medical Service,¹ Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Minneapolis VA Medical Center,³ Departments of Medicine,² Psychology,⁴ Obstetrics and Gynecology,,⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hennepin County Medical Center,Minneapolis, Minnesota,⁹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas,⁵ Child Health Clinic, The Childrens Hospital, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado,⁶ VA Medical Center and Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,⁷ Departament de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain,¹⁰

Received 27 December 2001/ Returned for modification 28 February 2002/ Accepted 10 March 2002

Escherichia coli O15:K52:H1 is a significant extraintestinal pathogen in Europe (G. Prats et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 38:201-209, 2000). To search for evidence of this clonal group outside of Europe, 75 non-European E. coli isolates of serogroup O15 were compared with five members of the O15:K52:H1 clonal group from Barcelona, Spain, according to genomic background, virulence genotypes, and antimicrobial resistance profiles. Amplification phylotyping showed that 16 (21%) of the 75 non-European O15 isolates corresponded with the O15:K52:H1 clonal group. The 16 non-European O15:K52:H1 clonal group members represented diverse geographic locales. They were isolated almost exclusively from humans with extraintestinal infections and accounted for 50% of all O15 isolates from five human clinical collections studied. Most non-European clonal group members exhibited a consensus virulence factor profile that included the F16 or F7-2 papA alleles (P fimbrial structural subunit), papG allele II (P fimbrial adhesin), iha (putative adhesin siderophore), and iutA (aerobactin receptor). This resembles the virulence profiles of (i) European representatives of the O15:K52:H1 clonal group and (ii) phylogenetically related "clonal group A," a recently recognized significant contributor to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance in the United States (A. R. Manges et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 345:1007-1013, 2001). Antimicrobial resistance profiles were variable, and resistance was inconsistently transferred by conjugation. These findings indicate that the O15:K52:H1 clonal group is broadly distributed beyond Europe, exhibits previously unrecognized phenotypic and genotypic diversity, and contributes significantly to extraintestinal infections in humans.

Present address: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.

Present address: Minnesota State Health Technology Advisory Committee, St. Paul, Minn.

Present address: School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.

^|| Present address: Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Cagnacci, S., Gualco, L., Debbia, E., Schito, G. C., Marchese, A. (2008). European Emergence of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia coli Clonal Groups O25:H4-ST 131 and O15:K52:H1 Causing Community-Acquired Uncomplicated Cystitis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 2605-2612 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lavilla, S., Gonzalez-Lopez, J. J., Miro, E., Dominguez, A., Llagostera, M., Bartolome, R. M., Mirelis, B., Navarro, F., Prats, G. (2008). Dissemination of extended-spectrum {beta}-lactamase-producing bacteria: the food-borne outbreak lesson. J Antimicrob Chemother 61: 1244-1251 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Restieri, C., Garriss, G., Locas, M.-C., Dozois, C. M. (2007). Autotransporter-Encoding Sequences Are Phylogenetically Distributed among Escherichia coli Clinical Isolates and Reference Strains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1553-1562 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Moreno, E., Prats, G., Sabate, M., Perez, T., Johnson, J. R., Andreu, A. (2006). Quinolone, fluoroquinolone and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance in relation to virulence determinants and phylogenetic background among uropathogenic Escherichia coli. J Antimicrob Chemother 57: 204-211 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Beutin, L., Tao, J., Feng, L., Krause, G., Zimmermann, S., Gleier, K., Xia, Q., Wang, L. (2005). Sequence Analysis of the Escherichia coli O15 Antigen Gene Cluster and Development of a PCR Assay for Rapid Detection of Intestinal and Extraintestinal Pathogenic E. coli O15 Strains. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 703-710 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnson, J. R., Kuskowski, M. A., O'Bryan, T. T., Colodner, R., Raz, R. (2005). Virulence Genotype and Phylogenetic Origin in Relation to Antibiotic Resistance Profile among Escherichia coli Urine Sample Isolates from Israeli Women with Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 26-31 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnson, J. R., Owens, K., Sabate, M., Prats, G. (2004). Rapid and Specific Detection of the O15:K52:H1 Clonal Group of Escherichia coli by Gene-Specific PCR. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3841-3843 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnson, J. R., Owens, K., Manges, A. R., Riley, L. W. (2004). Rapid and Specific Detection of Escherichia coli Clonal Group A by Gene-Specific PCR. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 2618-2622 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnson, J. R., Murray, A. C., Gajewski, A., Sullivan, M., Snippes, P., Kuskowski, M. A., Smith, K. E. (2003). Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Nalidixic Acid-Resistant Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli from Retail Chicken Products. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 2161-2168 [Abstract] [Full Text]