Abstract:
EnterohemOiThagic Esdlerichia coli (EHEC) strains are zoonotic pathogens responsible for a range of severe human disease. The repertoire of virulence determinants promoting EHEC disease is encoded on both the main chromosome and virulence plasmid. We examined a mnltiply antibiotic-resistant 026 EHEC strain for carriage of resistance genes on the virulence plasmid. The EHEC virulence plasmid containing a complex antibiotic-resistance gene locus, desi6'nated as p026-CRL, was pmified from EHEC 026:H- (patient with hemorrhagic colitis) and subjected to shotgun-sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. Determination of the 1l1,481-bp sequence of p026-CRL revealed genes encoding a flllctional enterohemolysin operon (elzxCABD), STEC-specilic extracellular serine protease (espp), putative EHEC adhesin (toxB) , catalase/peroxidase (hatF), and myristoyl transferase (msbB) involved in lipid A synthesis. A 22,609-bp Tn21 derivative is inserted ·within the COl'YUgal transfer gene traC and encodes resistance to trimethoprim, streptomycin, snlfadliozole, kanamycin, neomycin, ~-lactams, and mercuric chloride. Plasmid p026-CRL is nonconjugative but is mobilizable.
