Characterization of Diarreaghenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Strains Isolated from Healthy Donors, including a Triple Hybrid Strain
Evelyn Méndez-Moreno,
Liliana Caporal-Hernandez,
Pablo A. Mendez-Pfeiffer,
Yessica Enciso-Martinez,
Rafael De la Rosa López,
Dora Valencia,
Margarita M. P. Arenas-Hernández,
Manuel G. Ballesteros-Monrreal,
Edwin Barrios-Villa
Affiliations
Evelyn Méndez-Moreno
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Liliana Caporal-Hernandez
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Pablo A. Mendez-Pfeiffer
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Yessica Enciso-Martinez
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Rafael De la Rosa López
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Dora Valencia
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Margarita M. P. Arenas-Hernández
Posgrado en Microbiología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla CP 72570, Pue, Mexico
Manuel G. Ballesteros-Monrreal
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Edwin Barrios-Villa
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Sonora, Unidad Regional Norte, Campus Caborca. Av. Universidad e Irigoyen S/N, col. Eleazar Ortiz, H. Caborca CP 83621, Sonora, Mexico
Escherichia coli is a well-recognized inhabitant of the animal and human gut. Its presence represents an essential component of the microbiome. There are six pathogenic variants of E. coli associated with diarrheal processes, known as pathotypes. These harbor genetic determinants that allow them to be classified as such. In this work, we report the presence of diarrheagenic pathotypes of E. coli strains isolated from healthy donors. Ninety E. coli strains were analyzed, of which forty-six (51%) harbored virulence markers specifics for diarrheagenic pathotypes, including four hybrids (one of them with genetic determinants of three DEC pathotypes). We also identified phylogenetic groups with a higher prevalence of B2 (45.6%) and A (17.8%). In addition, resistance to sulfonamides (100%), and aminoglycosides (100%) was found in 100% of the strains, with a lower prevalence of resistance to cefotaxime (13.3%), ceftriaxone (12.2%), fosfomycin (10%), and meropenem (0%). All analyzed strains were classified as multidrug resistant. Virulence genes were also investigated, which led us to propose three new virotypes. Among the virulence traits observed, the ability to form biofilms stands out, which was superior to that of the E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus strains used as positive controls.
