The Most Important Virulence Markers of Yersinia enterocolitica and Their Role during Infection

Abstract

Yersinia enterocolitica is the causative agent of yersiniosis, a zoonotic disease of growing epidemiological importance with significant consequences for public health. This pathogenic species has been intensively studied for many years. Six biotypes (1A, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5) and more than 70 serotypes of Y. enterocolitica have been identified to date. The biotypes of Y. enterocolitica are divided according to their pathogenic properties: the non-pathogenic biotype 1A, weakly pathogenic biotypes 2–5, and the highly pathogenic biotype 1B. Due to the complex pathogenesis of yersiniosis, further research is needed to expand our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in the infection process and the clinical course of the disease. Many factors, both plasmid and chromosomal, significantly influence these processes. The aim of this study was to present the most important virulence markers of Y. enterocolitica and their role during infection.

Virulence Characteristics of Yersinia enterocolitica Isolated from Dairy Products in the Northeast of Iran

“…Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. enterocolitica) has a wide range of clinical, animal, food, and water sources, which have been documented in the literature [1][2][3]. In general, the genus Yersinia consists of 18 species, 11 of which have been established, including Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y. enterocolitica, Y. frederiksenii, Y. intermedia, Y. kristensenii, Y. bercovieri, Y. mollaretii, Y. rohdei, Y. aldovae, and Y. ruckeri.…”

“…In general, the genus Yersinia consists of 18 species, 11 of which have been established, including Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y. enterocolitica, Y. frederiksenii, Y. intermedia, Y. kristensenii, Y. bercovieri, Y. mollaretii, Y. rohdei, Y. aldovae, and Y. ruckeri. Only the three species of Y. Pestis, Y. enterocolitica, and Y. pseudotuberculosis are considered to be pathogenic for humans and animals [1].…”

“…According to a recent report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Y. enterocolitica is considered to be an important foodborne pathogen in Europe [4]. Y. enterocolitica causes various human infections, including acute gastroenteritis and invasive syndromes such as mesenteric lymphadenitis, appendicitis, and septicemia Biotype 1A of the Y. enterocolitica strains lack pYV, most of the chromosomal virulence genes (e.g., ail, myfA, ystA), and high pathogenicity island (HPI) [1][2][3]. Due to the lack of virulence genes, biotype 1A is often isolated from humans with gastrointestinal diseases [3].…”

“…The chromosomal virulence markers of Y. enterocolitica include ail (attachment-invasion locus [ail] protein), inv (invasin), yst (Yersinia-stable toxin), myfA (mucoid Yersinia factor), ymoA (Yersinia modulator). The plasmidial virulence markers of Y. enterocolitica include yadA (Yersinia adhesion), yop virulon (Yersinia outer membrane proteins), and virF (transcriptional activator of the Yersinia virulence regulon) [1,2,5,10]. The expression of several plasmid-encoded and chromosomal virulence genes is strongly regulated by temperature, calcium, iron ion concentrations, pH, and osmolality, which play a key role in the incidence of infections [9,10].…”

Immunogenicity of trimeric autotransporter adhesins and their potential as vaccine targets

“…The immunodominant YadA of Y. enterocolitica has a monomeric molecular weight of approximately 47 kDa [31,38] and the yadA gene is located on the 64-75 kb Yersinia virulence plasmid (pYV) [80,81]. Although discovered in 1981 as 'protein 1' [82,83], YadA is still investigated to unravel its complex structure, to clarify the autotransporter mechanism and to identify its biological functions [16,36].…”