Effect of chlorine injury on heat-labile enterotoxin production in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 1091-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. Walsh ◽  
Gary K. Bissonnette

Heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) production was examined in chlorine-injured and noninjured populations of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) by passive immune hemolysis and Y-1 mouse adrenal tumor cell assays. Sublethally injured populations showed reduced LT production after 1, 2.5, and 4 h incubation in trypticase soy broth plus 0.25% glucose, pH 8.0. Reduction was observed during injury, resuscitation, and for at least 1.5 h following repair. LT levels comparable with that present in noninjured cells were found after 24 h incubation in the same medium, indicating delayed toxigenesis rather than permanent damage. Chlorinated populations failed to incorporate [14C]glucose until repair was completed suggesting a possible explanation for delayed toxin production. The results indicate a temporary loss of virulence among sublethally injured ETEC in chlorinated waters.

2014 ◽  
Vol 197 (2) ◽  
pp. 392-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Joffré ◽  
Astrid von Mentzer ◽  
Moataz Abd El Ghany ◽  
Numan Oezguen ◽  
Tor Savidge ◽  
...  

EnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. ETEC-mediated diarrhea is orchestrated by heat-labile toxin (LT) and heat-stable toxins (STp and STh), acting in concert with a repertoire of more than 25 colonization factors (CFs). LT, the major virulence factor, induces fluid secretion after delivery of a monomeric ADP-ribosylase (LTA) and its pentameric carrier B subunit (LTB). A study of ETEC isolates from humans in Brazil reported the existence of natural LT variants. In the present study, analysis of predicted amino acid sequences showed that the LT amino acid polymorphisms are associated with a geographically and temporally diverse set of 192 clinical ETEC strains and identified 12 novel LT variants. Twenty distinct LT amino acid variants were observed in the globally distributed strains, and phylogenetic analysis showed these to be associated with different CF profiles. Notably, the most prevalent LT1 allele variants were correlated with major ETEC lineages expressing CS1 + CS3 or CS2 + CS3, and the most prevalent LT2 allele variants were correlated with major ETEC lineages expressing CS5 + CS6 or CFA/I. LTB allele variants generally exhibited more-stringent amino acid sequence conservation (2 substitutions identified) than LTA allele variants (22 substitutions identified). The functional impact of LT1 and LT2 polymorphisms on virulence was investigated by measuring total-toxin production, secretion, and stability using GM1–enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (GM1-ELISA) andin silicoprotein modeling. Our data show that LT2 strains produce 5-fold more toxin than LT1 strains (P< 0.001), which may suggest greater virulence potential for this genetic variant. Our data suggest that functionally distinct LT-CF variants with increased fitness have persisted during the evolution of ETEC and have spread globally.


1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAU-YANG TSEN ◽  
LIANG-ZHAO JIAN ◽  
WAN-RONG CHI

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains which produce heat labile and/or heat stable toxins (LT and ST) may cause diarrhea in humans and farm animals. Using PCR primers specific for the LT I and ST II genes, a multiplex PCR system which allows detection of LT I- and ST II-producing ETEC strains was developed. When skim milk was used for a PCR assay, it was found that if target cells in the sample were precultured in MacConkey broth for 8 h prior to PCR as few as 100 cells per ml of the sample could be detected. Without the preculture step, 104 CFU of target cells per 0.2 g of porcine stool specimen were required to generate visible PCR products. The multiplex PCR System can be used for rapid testing of fecal specimens, food and possibly environmental samples for the presence of ETEC strains.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (11) ◽  
pp. C1185-C1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhisek Ghosal ◽  
Nabendu S. Chatterjee ◽  
Tristan Chou ◽  
Hamid M. Said

Infections with enteric pathogens like enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ( ETEC) is a major health issue worldwide and while diarrhea is the major problem, prolonged, severe, and dual infections with multiple pathogens may also compromise the nutritional status of the infected individuals. There is almost nothing currently known about the effect of ETEC infection on intestinal absorptions of water-soluble vitamins including thiamin. We examined the effect of ETEC infection on intestinal uptake of the thiamin using as a model the human-derived intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. The results showed that infecting confluent Caco-2 monolayers with live ETEC (but not with boiled/killed ETEC or nonpathogenic E. coli) or treatment with bacterial culture supernatant led to a significant inhibition in thiamin uptake. This inhibition appears to be caused by a heat-labile and -secreted ETEC component and is mediated via activation of the epithelial adenylate cyclase system. The inhibition in thiamin uptake by ETEC was associated with a significant reduction in expression of human thiamin transporter-1 and -2 (hTHTR1 and hTHTR2) at the protein and mRNA levels as well as in the activity of the SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 promoters. Dual infection of Caco-2 cells with ETEC and EPEC (enteropathogenic E. coli) led to compounded inhibition in intestinal thiamin uptake. These results show for the first time that infection of human intestinal epithelial cells with ETEC causes a significant inhibition in intestinal thiamin uptake. This inhibition is mediated by a secreted heat-labile toxin and is associated with a decrease in the expression of intestinal thiamin transporters.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1603-1608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koushik Roy ◽  
David J. Hamilton ◽  
James M. Fleckenstein

ABSTRACTEnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) is an important cause of diarrheal disease in developing countries, where it is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Vaccine development for ETEC has been hindered by the heterogeneity of known molecular targets and the lack of broad-based sustained protection afforded by existing vaccine strategies. In an effort to explore the potential role of novel antigens in ETEC vaccines, we examined the ability of antibodies directed against the ETEC heat-labile toxin (LT) and the recently described EtpA adhesin to prevent intestinal colonizationin vivoand toxin delivery to epithelial cellsin vitro. We demonstrate that EtpA is required for the optimal delivery of LT and that antibodies against this adhesin play at least an additive role in preventing delivery of LT to target intestinal cells when combined with antibodies against either the A or B subunits of the toxin. Moreover, vaccination with a combination of LT and EtpA significantly impaired intestinal colonization. Together, these results suggest that the incorporation of recently identified molecules such as EtpA could be used to enhance current approaches to ETEC vaccine development.


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