<p>First investigation of the presence of <em>SPATE</em> genes in <em>Shigella</em> species isolated from children with diarrhea infection in Ahvaz, southwest Iran</p>

Abstract

Background: SPATE (serine protease autotransporters of enterobacteriaceae) genes are considered as a group of the main virulence factors of Shigella species This study aimed to investigate for the first time the distribution of SPATE genes among Shigella spp. isolated from children with diarrhea infection in Ahvaz, Iran. Methodology: In this study, a total of 74 Shigella isolates were collected between August 2016 and June 2017 from feces of children with diarrhea and identified by biochemical and molecular methods for Shigella species. The frequency distribution of the SPATE genes, including pic, pet, sat, sigA and sepA , was evaluated using PCR. The genetic relationship of all isolates was evaluated by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR. Results: The most common species of Shigella was S. flexneri , followed by S. sonnei and S. boydii . In total, 95.94% of Shigella isolates had at least one of the SPATE genes. The presence of pic, pet, sat, sigA and sepA genes was confirmed among 35.13%, 27%, 47.29%, 58.1% and 39.18% of Shigella isolates, respectively. Of these SPATE genes, the sat and sigA genes were recognized as the most common autotransporters among S. flexneri and S. sonnei isolates, respectively. Also, either S. flexneri or S. sonnei isolates belonging to a same clone type had similar SPATE genes profile. Conclusion: Our results revealed that the high distribution of SPATE genes among Shigella isolates in our region. Hence, this study highlights a need for epidemiological programs to monitor the distribution of SPATE genes locally for prevention from further dissemination of the Shigella isolates harboring them.

Burden, Antibiotic Resistance, and Clonality of Shigella spp. Implicated in Community-Acquired Acute Diarrhoea in Lilongwe, Malawi

“…For example, a study in China reported a higher prevalence of S. flexneri in males than in females; however, S. sonnei showed a reverse trend [ 40 ]. However, in the present study, most isolates were retrieved from male patients in the age group 12–45 years (30/34, 88.2% of isolates), similar to reports by another study in Iran [ 41 ]. The affected age group and gender are important for the epidemiology of shigellosis infections and appeared to be associated with the level of personal hygiene [ 42 ].…”

<p>High Rates of Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Gene Distribution Among<em> Shigella</em> spp. Isolated from Pediatric Patients in Tehran, Iran</p>

“…A majority of S. flexneri (92.8%) and all of S. sonnei were resistant to SXT, a finding which was similar to those reported by other groups in Iran 15,17,18 and in other countries 19,20 and opposite to that reported by Moosavian et al in Iran. 15 Moreover, in the current study S. flexneri showed high resistance to AMP that is consistent with those previously reported by Iranian authors. 16,21,22 Moreover, a high-level resistance was observed against AMP, NA, MN, CTX, CFM, and AZT among Shigella isolates.…”

“…In the current study, the serotyping findings indicated that S. sonnei was the most predominant species, which is consistent with the findings reported by Yaghoubi et al 14 in Tehran, Iran. However, Moosavian et al in Ahvaz 15 and Hosseini et al in Kerman 16 previously reported that S. flexneri was the most common species. These variations could be due to the differences between these studies in terms of geographical and socioeconomic conditions as well as the groups of individuals studied.…”

<p>Virulence-Related Gene Distribution Among <em>Shigella</em> Isolates in Anhui, China: The Association with Antimicrobial Resistance</p>

“… 32 In this study, most of the S. flexneri isolates harbored two or more SPATE genes, which is consistent with the results of previous studies. 33 , 34 We also found that the sat gene was the most commonly identified SPATE gene among the S. flexneri isolates, but was absent among the S. sonnei isolates. This indicated that sat -encoded toxin might be a major contributor to the virulence of S. flexneri isolates.…”