High-throughput fitness screening and transcriptomics identify a role for a type IV secretion system in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease-associated Escherichia coli

Abstract

Adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) are frequently isolated from Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. Here, Elhenawy et al. conduct a genome-wide screen to identify AIEC genes required for in vivo intestinal colonization, and show that a type IV secretion system contributes to AIEC persistence in the gut and is enriched in CD patients’ isolates.