BMC Microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Epidemiology, antibiotic resistance, and molecular detection of blaOXA and blaCTX-M Genes in ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli from urinary tract infections in Jordanian hospitals.","authors":"Ayman Alsheikh, Abdalla Abuawwad, Israa Yousef, Dhia'a Abueswailem, Hafez Al-Momani, Walid Aburayyan, Nesrin Seder, Montasir Al-Mansi, Mohammad Al-Najjar, Lana Al-Shoubaki, Yaqeen Rjoub, Nawal Al-Zaa'q","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04156-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04156-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Urinary tract infections (UTIs) impose significant challenges among patients infected with multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli). The emergence of the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) strains complicates the treatment and exacerbates life-threatening infections. The comprehensive analysis of the resistance mechanisms combined with identifying the relevant genes amend the implications encountered with the devastating effects generated by the pathogenic microorganisms. This study sought about the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in UTIs patients in Jordan, focusing on the prevalence of blaOXA and blaCTX-M resistance genes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 500 urine samples were compiled from patients diagnosed with UTIs between November 2023 and May 2024. The samples were collected from five governmental hospitals distributed in three districts in Jordan (North, Middle, and South). Urine samples were cultured in the microbiology lab and the percentage of E. coli isolates was explored. Later on, isolates were tested for ESBL production using the double disk synergy test. Thus, molecular detection of the blaOXA and blaCTX-M genes was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic correlation between the prevalence of resistance genes and variables such as location, age, and gender.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the current study, we investigated the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in UTIs across Jordanian hospitals, focusing on the prevalence of the blaOXA and blaCTX-M genes with the correlation with the epidemiological factors. Our findings revealed an overall prevalence of 18% for ESBL- E. coli isolates, with the highest prevalence in the Northern governorates exhibiting 50% (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.103-2.519). Females showed a higher prevalence of the blaOXA gene (62.29%) compared to males (37.7%) (p = 0.008). Moreover, the blaCTX-M gene was universally present in all samples with a prevalence of 98%. The multinomial regression analysis has revealed a significant correlation (p = 0.001) between location on the distribution of the blaOXA gene among the study population.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of the current study highlight alarming rates for the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in UTIs across Jordan in general and in the northern districts as specific. Emphasizing the crucial need for effective surveillance, antibiotic stewardship, and infection control strategies. The significant regional variations in resistance rates suggest that localized factors, such as antibiotic misuse and environmental influences combined with the widespread of blaCTX-M and blaOXA genes point to the need for targeted antibiotic resistance surveillance in Jordan.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"557"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12392507/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phosphate availability modulates the weathering effectiveness and molecular response of Caballeronia mineralivorans PML1(12).","authors":"Cintia Blanco Nouche, Judith Sar, Carine Cochet, Jean Armengaud, Marie-Pierre Turpault, Stéphane Uroz","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04221-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04221-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Backgrounds: </strong>Minerals and rocks are important reservoirs of nutrients for the soil biota because of their nutritive contents of P, K or Mg. In nutrient-poor environments such as forest soils, microorganisms capable of mobilizing these nutrients gain an ecological advantage. Acidification-based mineral weathering is one of the mechanisms used by these bacteria, but the molecular players involved and their regulation remain poorly characterized.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To fill these gaps, we considered the effective mineral weathering bacterial strain Caballeronia mineralivorans PML1(12). On the basis of the hypothesis that nutrient availability conditions the effectiveness of bacterial mineral weathering, we considered the impact of different nutrients (i.e., Mg, K and P) typically contained in minerals to determine the regulation occurring during the interaction and weathering of biotite using a dual transcriptomic and proteomic approach combined with geochemical analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>By varying the concentration of each nutrient in solution, only P, depending on its concentration, conditioned the effectiveness at weathering of strain PML1(12) through acidification. The combination of omic approaches combined with (geo)chemical analyses revealed how the effectiveness at weathering apatite of strain PML1(12) is influenced by the P concentration and highlighted which mineral weathering (MWe) mechanisms are employed and how they are regulated.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our analyses provided new information on mineral weathering bacteria and highlighted the differential regulation of the glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase depending on the presence of minerals and the phosphorus concentration.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"555"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12382080/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and expression of a novel antimicrobial peptide Gloverin and its antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus.","authors":"Kaiqi Lian, Yuhang Wang, Yayun Jiao, Xiangfeng Meng, Zengjun Ma, Yuanchen Zhang, Lingling Zhou","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04197-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04197-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted extensive attention in various fields. Gloverin is a group of AMPs derived from Lepidoptera insects. In this study, a novel gloverin CpGlv was identified through sequence alignment. The open reading frame (ORF) of mature CpGlv, devoid of its signal peptide region, was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. The antibacterial activity of the fusion protein CpGlv against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was then assessed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe the ultrastructure of S. aureus cells. Furthermore, the effects of CpGlv on the cell wall and membrane permeability of S. aureus were evaluated by detecting the leakage of intracellular nucleic acids, proteins, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and β-galactosidase, as well as through the propidium iodide (PI) staining experiment. Finally, the influence of CpGlv on the S. aureus biofilm formation was investigated using the crystal violet staining assay.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed that the ORF of CpGlv contained a nucleotide sequence of 591 bp. The expressed fusion protein CpGlv had a molecular weight of approximately 24 kDa. The purified CpGlv exhibited significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus, with a MIC of 40 µg/mL. 2×MIC of CpGlv caused S. aureus cells to exhibit adhesion, swelling, deformation, and even rupture. Further, CpGlv resulted in the leakage of intracellular nucleic acids, proteins, ALP, and β-galactosidase in S. aureus. After PI staining, there was intracellular fluorescence intensity in S. aureus treated by CpGlv. Additionally, 1/4×MIC of CpGlv significantly reduced the biofilm formation of S. aureus.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A novel gloverin CpGlv was identified, expressed, and purified, and the recombinant CpGlv exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus by increasing the cell membrane and wall permeability, and inhibiting the biofilm formation, laying a foundation for in-depth research on the antibacterial mechanism and application of CpGlv.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"554"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12382276/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of changes in rumen microbial adaptability on rumen fermentation and nutrient digestion in Horqin beef cattle during different seasons of grazing and supplementary feeding.","authors":"Wen Peng, Yajing Wang, Manlin Wei, Shiba Liu, Kai Liu, Ming Xiao, Runze Zhang, Yuxiang Wang, Yongjie Zheng, Lue Fang, Yuxi Liu, Chunpeng Zhu, Weijing Meng, Chenyang Dong, Wanxin Ma","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04199-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-025-04199-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of changes in rumen microbial adaptability on rumen fermentation and nutrient digestion in Horqin beef cattle during different seasons of grazing and supplementary feeding. Four healthy female Horqin beef cattle were selected as experimental animals for grazing and supplementary feeding. The feed, feces, and rumen fluid were collected in spring (March), summer (June), autumn (September), and winter (December) to determine nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation parameters and microflora. The microflora was sequenced with 16S rRNA.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that the rumen volatile fatty acid, ammonia nitrogen and microbial protein concentrations in summer were significantly higher than those in the other seasons (P < 0.05). The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and ether extracts decreased significantly in autumn and winter (P < 0.05), especially in winter. Compared with autumn, the rumen bacterial diversity of beef cattle increased significantly in spring (P < 0.05). The results of the rumen microflora revealed that Prevotella was the most dominant bacteria in the rumen of beef cattle in summer, and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group was the most dominant bacteria in the other seasons. The low quality of forage in spring, autumn and winter resulted in an increase in the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, NK4A214_group, and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, etc., which are associated with fibre decomposition. In addition, nucleotide metabolism and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism increased significantly in bacteria in the summer (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results revealed the dynamic adaptability of the rumen microbiota to seasonal and dietary changes and provide references for the grazing and supplementary feeding of Horqin beef cattle in different seasons.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"556"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12382152/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Probiotic potential of 'lactobacilli' isolated from traditionally fermented Ethiopian honey wine (Tej).","authors":"Tigist Getachew, Mogessie Ashenafi, Fitsum Tigu, Dagim Jirata Birri, Abebe Naoli, Asnake Desalegn","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04326-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04326-4","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Probiotics are live microorganisms with health benefits. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are among the well-known probiotic formulations in various products intended for human or animal consumption. Prior researches on Tej have thus far looked into its physicochemical compositions, microbial load and starter cultured development. This work on screening of probiotic from Tej is novel because there hasn't been any report on screening of probiotics for improvement of the beverage. The aim of this research is therefore to investigate the probiotic properties of LAB isolated from Tej. Samples were collected from Addis Ababa, and LAB were identified following morphological, physiological, and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF). A total of 300 isolates were purified and characterized among which 280 of them were LAB. All the 280, LAB isolates were screened for their antibacterial properties out of which 200 showed antibacterial activities, 158 were tolerant to low pH values (pH 2 and 3), 134 survived the bile concentrations of 0.3%, 0.4%, and 1%, and 64 had better adhesion properties. The LAB isolates with adhesion properties were tested for their safety (hemolytic activity) and 18 isolates that had no hemolytic activity were used for further analysis. Each probiotic feature was assessed using standard protocols. The percentage survival (mean ± SD) of the LAB ranged from 5.04 ± 0.05 to 65.47 ± 0.08 and 11.05 ± 0.06 to 70.48 ± 0.04% at pH 2.0 and 3.0, respectively. A statistically significant difference (p &lt; 0.05) was observed in the mean percentage survival at pH 2 and pH 3. The percentage survival (mean ± SD) of the LAB isolates to bile concentrations of 0.3%, 0.5%, and 1% ranged from 21.74 ± 0.08 to 92.48 ± 0.03, 23.84 ± 0.05 to 72.02 ± 0.03 and 30.22 ± 0.16 to 65.37 ± 0.05, respectively. For 77% of the isolates the mean survival was higher at the lowest bile concentration compared to the highest bile concentration and the differences were statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05). The mean cell surface hydrophobicity of the LAB was in the range of 24.11 ± 0.85 to 76.71 ± 0.66%. The antioxidant ability of the LAB based on DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging ranged from 0.4 to 68.9%, and cholesterol assimilation from 1.6 to 19.4%. Variabilities in the patterns of resistance to antibiotics were observed among the strains of LAB with the most frequent resistance to vancomycin. The LAB isolates with in vitro probiotic potentials that didn't exhibit hemolytic activities were identified as Levilactobacillus brevis (ST1, ST2, ST17), Lecticaseibacillus paracasei (ST3, ST8, ST10, ST11, ST12, ST13, ST14, ST15, ST16, ST18), Lentilactobacillus hilgardii (ST4, ST5, ST6) and Lentilactobacillus parabuchneri (ST7) using the MALDI-TOF MS. In conclusion, LAB with potential probiotic properties have been identified from the Ethiopian traditionally fermented honey wine Tej, further study on the in vivo","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"549"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379519/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metagenomic analysis of vitamins B and K₂ biosynthesis in chicken gut microbiota across laying periods.","authors":"Zhen-Qiu Gao, Jin-Wen Su, Ya Qin, Tong Ye, Hongwei Cao, Li-Hua Yang, Hany M Elsheikha","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04296-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04296-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"553"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379529/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversity and dynamics of fungal endophytes in the roots of Amomum villosum lour. Under different areas and growth ages.","authors":"Xiao-Gang Li, Xiao-Xu You, Xing-Kai Zhang, Di Chen, Sen He, Guan-Hua Cao","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04332-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04332-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aims to investigate the colonization and diversity of endophytic fungi in Amomum villosum roots across different planting locations and at various growth ages, and to analyze the fungal composition. In this study, we performed Illumina-based ITS sequencing to investigate the effects of growth ages and sample plots on the rhizosphere fungi of A. villosum. Colonization analysis revealed widespread colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSEs), but colonization rates did not increase significantly with plant age. Glomus was the dominant AMF genus, while Exophiala, Cladosporium and Cladophialophora dominated the DSE community. Beneficial fungi included Phoma, Acremonium, Myrothecium and Trichoderma. Alpha and beta diversity analyses indicated that fungal diversity, abundance, and community composition were significantly influenced by planting location but not by plant age. Collectively, planting location drives divergent root fungal communities in A. villosum, while plant age selectively affects specific taxa. AMF and DSEs were considered to be dominant beneficial microorganisms and were largely responsible for the growth and development of A. villosum. This study provides valuable insights for identifying beneficial endophytic fungi in A. villosum and optimizes the application of AMF and DSE agents in its ecological cultivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"550"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379508/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In vitro activity of Eravacycline against carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli and associated risk factors for non-susceptible infections from a tertiary hospital in fujian, China from 2021 to 2024.","authors":"Xuyang Li, Pengfei Gao, Meiyun Chen, Bin Li, Xiaohong Xu","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04331-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04331-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study evaluated Eravacycline (ERV)'s effectiveness against carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) and identified risk factors for ERV non-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae (ENSKP) infections to support clinical treatment and early detection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between 2021 and 2024, 235 Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB) strains, 48 Carbapenem-Resistant Escherichia coli (CRECO) strains, and 158 Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) strains were collected. Resistance genes were identified using PCR, and the minimum inhibitory concentration of tigecycline and ERV was determined using the broth microdilution method. Susceptibility was assessed according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EUCAST breakpoints, and logistic regression identified ENSKP infection risk factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For CRAB, ERV's MIC50 and MIC90 were 0.5 µg/ml and 1 µg/ml, while tigecycline's were 2 µg/ml and 4 µg/ml. For Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), ERV's MIC50 and MIC90 were 0.5 µg/ml and 2 µg/ml, and tigecycline's were 2 µg/ml and 4 µg/ml. For CRECO, both ERV and tigecycline had MIC50 and MIC90 of 0.25 µg/ml and 0.5 µg/ml. The study found 25 KP strains non-susceptible to ERV, with no prior ERV treatment. The ENSKP group had higher ECOG scores, more invasive procedures, more antibacterial drug use, and longer hospital stays compared to the ERV susceptible KP.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study demonstrated that ERV effectively combats CRGNB, providing a potential basis for future treatment of drug-resistant infections. ENSKP infection can occur without ERV use. Effective surveillance and antibiotic stewardship are essential for managing ENSKP in high-risk patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"551"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379365/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the cultivable yeast endophyte diversity in muscadine grape berries and their known functional prospects.","authors":"Meenakshi Agarwal, Mehboob B Sheikh","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04291-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04291-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"552"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379518/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) that hides its identity: features of LC2 and EC73 strains from recurrent urinary tract infections.","authors":"Linda Maurizi, Layla Musleh, Francesca Brunetti, Antonietta Lucia Conte, Anna Riccioli, Silvia Sideri, Maria Grazia Ammendolia, Daniela Uccelletti, Emily Schifano, Marta De Angelis, Giusi Ianiro, Antonella Niro, Antimo Cutone, Maria Pia Conte, Catia Longhi","doi":"10.1186/s12866-025-04287-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04287-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains are the major causative agents of human urinary tract infections (UTIs). Many patients who develop UTIs will experience a recurrent UTI (RUTI) within 6 months despite antibiotic-mediated clearance of the initial infection. A significant proportion of RUTIs are caused by E. coli identical to the original strain. UPEC employs several strategies to adhere, colonize, and persist within the bladder niche. Knowledge about the mechanisms regulating specific host-pathogen interactions that promote bacterial persistence is necessary to develop new approaches to RUTI diagnosis and treatment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>LC2 and EC73 UPEC strains were collected from patients with RUTIs. E. coli CFT073 and K-12 MG1655 were used as reference strains. UPEC displayed phenotypic profiles like those of the general E. coli population. The pan-genome analysis revealed that LC2 harbored many unique genes encoding several different functions such as intracellular trafficking and secretion, and vesicular transport. Contrarily, EC73 was the strain with the lowest number of unique genes involved in replication, recombination, repair and cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis. LC2 and EC73 exhibited the capacity to invade bladder monolayers efficiently and to colonize the gut of Caenorhabditis elegans, with LC2 being significantly more virulent than EC73. T24 cells infected with EC73 and LC2 strains exhibited significantly increased mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α. EC73 elicited the strongest cytokine response. Differently, no significant cytokine mRNA induction was detected in T24 cells infected with E. coli CFT073. LC2 and EC73 modulated the expression of proteins involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance in infected cells, but to different extents.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The acquisition of virulence factors by horizontal transfer of accessory DNA, other than being the cause of transformation to pathogenic strains, is responsible for the genomic plasticity. Our findings suggest that a key role in RUTIs could be played by certain bacterial strains that may benefit from peculiar abilities to adapt and potentially develop reservoirs of persistence across different host environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"25 1","pages":"547"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376328/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144943677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}