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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Veterinary and Zoonotic Infection
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1528408
This article is part of the Research Topic Viral Diseases in Swine View all 7 articles
Virulence Plasmids in Edema Disease: Insights from Whole-Genome Analysis of Porcine O139:H1 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Strains
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
- 2 National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Lazio, Italy
This study investigates the plasmid sequences of porcine O139:H1 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) responsible for Edema Disease (ED). Whole-genome analysis reveals significant similarities between these strains and known plasmids, notably pW1316-2, which harbors key virulence genes like hemolysin (hlyA, hlyB) and adhesion factors (aidA-I, faeE). These genes contribute to the cytotoxicity and host colonization associated with ED. Additionally, similarities to plasmids from Shigella flexneri 2a highlight potential associations in virulence gene regulation, particularly via the Hha-H-NS complex. The identification of sequences resembling plasmid pB71 raises serious concerns about the emergence of highly pathogenic strains, as it includes tetracycline resistance genes (tetA, tetC, tetR). This research emphasizes the role of plasmid-like sequences in ED pathogenesis, indicating important implications for swine industry management and public health.
Keywords: Plasmid, O139:H1, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, STEC, Edema Disease
Received: 14 Nov 2024; Accepted: 04 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Nemati, Gigliucci, Morabito and Badouei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ali Nemati, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
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