Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolated from Chinese diarrhea patients with high-pathogenicity island of Yersinia is involved in synthesis of siderophore yersiniabactin

AIM: To investigate the distribution of 12 high-pathogenicity island (HPI) genes and the relation between HPI genes and expression of yersiniabactin (Ybt) in enteroaggregative E.coli (EAggEC) isolated from Chinese diarrhea patients. METHODS: The distribution of 12 HPI genes was investigated by PCR and DNA hybridization in two prototype strains of EAggEC, EAggEC 17-2, EAggEC O42, and 6 clinical EAggEC isolates from China. The production of siderophore Ybt in HPI-positive strains was detected by reporter gene bioassay to determine the relation between HPI genes and expression of Ybt. Flow cytometry was used to detect fluorescent signal of the reporter strain that could designate production of Ybt. RESULTS: Seven strains were HPI-positive and one strain was HPI-negative. Six of seven HPI-positive strains were inserted into asnT-tRNA site. Moreover, seven EAggEC HPI-positive strains revealed enhanced fluorescence signal but the EAggEC HPI-negative strain did not. However, there was a difference in Ybt expression condition and level among these seven EAggEC HPI-positive strains. Although UFT073 strain, the prototype strain of uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC), carried the complete HPI core part, we did not detect the expression of Ybt in it. CONCLUSION: EAggEC HPI-positive strains can express the Ybt system, but the presence of HPI core part does not mean the functional expression of Ybt.