AUTHOR=Suresh Arya , Ranjan Amit , Jadhav Savita , Hussain Arif , Shaik Sabiha , Alam Munirul , Baddam Ramani , Wieler Lothar H. , Ahmed Niyaz 

TITLE=Molecular Genetic and Functional Analysis of pks-Harboring, Extra-Intestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli From India

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02631

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.02631

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Colibactin, a genotoxin, encoded by the <italic>pks</italic> pathogenicity island of <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> belonging to the B2 phylogroup has been reported as a determinant of bacterial pathogenicity. The present study was carried out to detect the <italic>pks</italic> pathogenicity island in extraintestinal pathogenic <italic>E. coli</italic> (ExPEC) isolated from a tertiary hospital in Pune, India. Of 462 isolates analyzed, the <italic>pks</italic> genomic island was detected in 35 (7.6%) isolates, which predominantly belonged to pathogenic phylogroup B2 (97%), and harbored virulence genes such as <italic>fimH, sfaD/E</italic>, and <italic>usp</italic>. Biofilm formation assay revealed 21 of the 35 <italic>pks-</italic>carrying isolates to be strong (SBF &gt; 1.0), 10 isolates to be moderate (SBF = 0.5–1.0), and 4 as weak (SBF &lt; 0.5) biofilm formers. All of the <italic>pks-</italic>carrying isolates proved resistant against bactericidal activity of human serum. Assays carried out to detect antimicrobial susceptibility revealed 11% of these isolates to be multidrug resistant, 37% producing ESBL and 25% were positive for <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-M-15</sub>. The observed prevalence of multidrug resistance and colibactin producing characteristics among pathogenic <italic>E. coli</italic> belonging to phylogenetic group B2 advocate urgent need for broader surveillance in order to understand and prevent transmission of these ExPEC in community and hospital settings.</p>