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Microorganisms
Volume 10
Issue 6
10.3390/microorganisms10061084
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Article

Evaluation of the Pathogenic Potential of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Eye Infections

by
Pedro Henrique Soares Nunes
1,2,
Tiago Barcelos Valiatti
1,3,
Ana Carolina de Mello Santos
1,
Júllia Assis da Silva Nascimento
1,
José Francisco Santos-Neto
1,
Talita Trevizani Rocchetti
2,
Maria Cecilia Zorat Yu
2,
Ana Luisa Hofling-Lima
2 and
Tânia Aparecida Tardelli Gomes
1,*
1
Laboratório Experimental de Patogenicidade de Enterobactérias (LEPE), Disciplina de Microbiologia, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia (DMIP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
2
Laboratório de Oftalmologia (LOFT), Departamento de Oftalmologia e Ciências Visuais, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
3
Laboratório Alerta, Disciplina de Infectologia, Departamento de Medicina, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo 04039-032, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2022, 10(6), 1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061084
Submission received: 21 April 2022 / Revised: 13 May 2022 / Accepted: 21 May 2022 / Published: 25 May 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ocular Infections and Microbiota in Health and Disease)
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Abstract

While primarily Gram-positive bacteria cause bacterial eye infections, several Gram-negative species also pose eye health risks. Currently, few studies have tried to understand the pathogenic mechanisms involved in E. coli eye infections. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the pathogenic potential of E. coli strains isolated from eye infections. Twenty-two strains isolated between 2005 and 2019 from patients with keratitis or conjunctivitis were included and submitted to traditional polymerase chain reactions (PCR) to define their virulence profile, phylogeny, clonal relationship, and sequence type (ST). Phenotypic assays were employed to determine hemolytic activity, antimicrobial susceptibility, and adhesion to human primary corneal epithelial cells (PCS-700-010). The phylogenetic results indicated that groups B2 and ST131 were the most frequent. Twenty-five virulence genes were found among our strains, with ecp, sitA, fimA, and fyuA being the most prevalent. Two strains presented a hemolytic phenotype, and resistance to ciprofloxacin and ertapenem was found in six strains and one strain, respectively. Regarding adherence, all but one strains adhered in vitro to corneal cells. Our results indicate significant genetic and virulence variation among ocular strains and point to an ocular pathogenic potential related to multiple virulence mechanisms.
Keywords: ExPEC; bacterial pathogenicity; eye infection; virulence genes; antibiotic resistance ExPEC; bacterial pathogenicity; eye infection; virulence genes; antibiotic resistance

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MDPI and ACS Style

Nunes, P.H.S.; Valiatti, T.B.; Santos, A.C.d.M.; Nascimento, J.A.d.S.; Santos-Neto, J.F.; Rocchetti, T.T.; Yu, M.C.Z.; Hofling-Lima, A.L.; Gomes, T.A.T. Evaluation of the Pathogenic Potential of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Eye Infections. Microorganisms 2022, 10, 1084. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061084

AMA Style

Nunes PHS, Valiatti TB, Santos ACdM, Nascimento JAdS, Santos-Neto JF, Rocchetti TT, Yu MCZ, Hofling-Lima AL, Gomes TAT. Evaluation of the Pathogenic Potential of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Eye Infections. Microorganisms. 2022; 10(6):1084. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061084

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nunes, Pedro Henrique Soares, Tiago Barcelos Valiatti, Ana Carolina de Mello Santos, Júllia Assis da Silva Nascimento, José Francisco Santos-Neto, Talita Trevizani Rocchetti, Maria Cecilia Zorat Yu, Ana Luisa Hofling-Lima, and Tânia Aparecida Tardelli Gomes. 2022. "Evaluation of the Pathogenic Potential of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Eye Infections" Microorganisms 10, no. 6: 1084. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061084

APA Style

Nunes, P. H. S., Valiatti, T. B., Santos, A. C. d. M., Nascimento, J. A. d. S., Santos-Neto, J. F., Rocchetti, T. T., Yu, M. C. Z., Hofling-Lima, A. L., & Gomes, T. A. T. (2022). Evaluation of the Pathogenic Potential of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Eye Infections. Microorganisms, 10(6), 1084. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061084

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