This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Souza, V.
Right arrow Articles by Eguiarte, L. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Souza, V.
Right arrow Articles by Eguiarte, L. E.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Souza, V.
Right arrow Articles by Eguiarte, L. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1999, p. 3373-3385, Vol. 65, No. 8
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Genetic Structure of Natural Populations of Escherichia coli in Wild Hosts on Different Continents

Valeria Souza,* Martha Rocha, Aldo Valera, and Luis E. Eguiarte

Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F. 04510, México

Received 10 March 1999/Accepted 4 June 1999

Current knowledge of genotypic and phenotypic diversity in the species Escherichia coli is based almost entirely on strains recovered from humans or zoo animals. In this study, we analyzed a collection of 202 strains obtained from 81 mammalian species representing 39 families and 14 orders in Australia and the Americas, as well as several reference strains; we also included a strain from a reptile and 10 from different families of birds collected in Mexico. The strains were characterized genotypically by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) and phenotypically by patterns of sugar utilization, antibiotic resistance, and plasmid profile. MLEE analysis yielded an estimated genetic diversity (H) of 0.682 for 11 loci. The observed genetic diversity in this sample is the greatest yet reported for E. coli. However, this genetic diversity is not randomly distributed; geographic effects and host taxonomic group accounted for most of the genetic differentiation. The genetic relationship among the strains showed that they are more associated by origin and host order than is expected by chance. In a dendrogram, the ancestral cluster includes primarily strains from Australia and ECOR strains from groups B and C. The most differentiated E. coli in our analysis are strains from Mexican carnivores and strains from humans, including those in the ECOR group A. The kinds and numbers of sugars utilized by the strains varied by host taxonomic group and country of origin. Strains isolated from bats were found to exploit the greatest range of sugars, while those from primates utilized the fewest. Toxins are more frequent in strains from rodents from both continents than in any other taxonomic group. Strains from Mexican wild mammals were, on average, as resistant to antibiotics as strains from humans in cities. On average, the Australian strains presented a lower antibiotic resistance than the Mexican strains. However, strains recovered from hosts in cities carried significantly more plasmids than did strains isolated from wild mammals. Previous studies have shown that natural populations of E. coli harbor an extensive genetic diversity that is organized in a limited number of clones. However, knowledge of this worldwide bacterium has been limited. Here, we suggest that the strains from a wide range of wild hosts from different regions of the world are organized in an ecotypic structure where adaptation to the host plays an important role in the population structure.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departmento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-275, México D.F. 04510, México. Phone: 525 622 9006. Fax: 525 622 8995. E-mail: souza{at}servidor.unam.mx.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1999, p. 3373-3385, Vol. 65, No. 8
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Miller, S. R., Williams, C., Strong, A. L., Carvey, D. (2009). Ecological Specialization in a Spatially Structured Population of the Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 729-734 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kozak, G. K., Boerlin, P., Janecko, N., Reid-Smith, R. J., Jardine, C. (2009). Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolates from Swine and Wild Small Mammals in the Proximity of Swine Farms and in Natural Environments in Ontario, Canada. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 559-566 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Diaz-Mejia, J. J., Amabile-Cuevas, C. F., Rosas, I., Souza, V. (2008). An analysis of the evolutionary relationships of integron integrases, with emphasis on the prevalence of class 1 integrons in Escherichia coli isolates from clinical and environmental origins. Microbiology 154: 94-102 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pallecchi, L., Lucchetti, C., Bartoloni, A., Bartalesi, F., Mantella, A., Gamboa, H., Carattoli, A., Paradisi, F., Rossolini, G. M. (2007). Population Structure and Resistance Genes in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria from a Remote Community with Minimal Antibiotic Exposure. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 1179-1184 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tobe, T., Beatson, S. A., Taniguchi, H., Abe, H., Bailey, C. M., Fivian, A., Younis, R., Matthews, S., Marches, O., Frankel, G., Hayashi, T., Pallen, M. J. (2006). An extensive repertoire of type III secretion effectors in Escherichia coli O157 and the role of lambdoid phages in their dissemination. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 14941-14946 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lasalde, C., Rodriguez, R., Toranzos, G. A. (2005). Statistical Analyses: Possible Reasons for Unreliability of Source Tracking Efforts. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 4690-4695 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Castillo, A., Eguiarte, L. E., Souza, V. (2005). A genomic population genetics analysis of the pathogenic enterocyte effacement island in Escherichia coli: The search for the unit of selection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102: 1542-1547 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Goss, E. M., Kreitman, M., Bergelson, J. (2005). Genetic Diversity, Recombination and Cryptic Clades in Pseudomonas viridiflava Infecting Natural Populations of Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetics 169: 21-35 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Johnson, L. K., Brown, M. B., Carruthers, E. A., Ferguson, J. A., Dombek, P. E., Sadowsky, M. J. (2004). Sample Size, Library Composition, and Genotypic Diversity among Natural Populations of Escherichia coli from Different Animals Influence Accuracy of Determining Sources of Fecal Pollution. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4478-4485 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • McLellan, S. L. (2004). Genetic Diversity of Escherichia coli Isolated from Urban Rivers and Beach Water. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4658-4665 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tazi, L., El Baghdadi, J., Lesjean, S., Locht, C., Supply, P., Tibayrenc, M., Banuls, A.-L. (2004). Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Casablanca, a Moroccan City with High Incidence of Tuberculosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 461-466 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kuntz, R. L., Hartel, P. G., Godfrey, D. G., McDonald, J. L., Gates, K. W., Segars, W. I. (2003). Targeted Sampling Protocol as Prelude to Bacterial Source Tracking with Enterococcus faecalis. J. Environ. Qual. 32: 2311-2318 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Oda, Y., Star, B., Huisman, L. A., Gottschal, J. C., Forney, L. J. (2003). Biogeography of the Purple Nonsulfur Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 5186-5191 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bent, S. J., Gucker, C. L., Oda, Y., Forney, L. J. (2003). Spatial Distribution of Rhodopseudomonas palustris Ecotypes on a Local Scale. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 5192-5197 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Seurinck, S., Verstraete, W., Siciliano, S. D. (2003). Use of 16S-23S rRNA Intergenic Spacer Region PCR and Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic PCR Analyses of Escherichia coli Isolates To Identify Nonpoint Fecal Sources. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 4942-4950 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • McLellan, S. L., Daniels, A. D., Salmore, A. K. (2003). Genetic Characterization of Escherichia coli Populations from Host Sources of Fecal Pollution by Using DNA Fingerprinting. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2587-2594 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Carson, C. A., Shear, B. L., Ellersieck, M. R., Schnell, J. D. (2003). Comparison of Ribotyping and Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic-PCR for Identification of Fecal Escherichia coli from Humans and Animals. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 1836-1839 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chirwa, N. T., Herrington, M. B. (2003). CsgD, a regulator of curli and cellulose synthesis, also regulates serine hydroxymethyltransferase synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12. Microbiology 149: 525-535 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Martinez, J. L., Baquero, F. (2002). Interactions among Strategies Associated with Bacterial Infection: Pathogenicity, Epidemicity, and Antibiotic Resistance. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 15: 647-679 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Della Coletta-Filho, H., Machado, M. A. (2002). Evaluation of the Genetic Structure of Xylella fastidiosa Populations from Different Citrus sinensis Varieties. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3731-3736 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Oda, Y., Wanders, W., Huisman, L. A., Meijer, W. G., Gottschal, J. C., Forney, L. J. (2002). Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity within Species of Purple Nonsulfur Bacteria Isolated from Aquatic Sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3467-3477 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hartel, P. G., Summer, J. D., Hill, J. L., Collins, J. V., Entry, J. A., Segars, W. I. (2002). Geographic Variability of Escherichia coli Ribotypes from Animals in Idaho and Georgia. J. Environ. Qual. 31: 1273-1278 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sandner, L., Eguiarte, L. E., Navarro, A., Cravioto, A., Souza, V. (2001). The elements of the locus of enterocyte effacement in human and wild mammal isolates of Escherichia coli: evolution by assemblage or disruption?. Microbiology 147: 3149-3158 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • McLellan, S. L., Daniels, A. D., Salmore, A. K. (2001). Clonal Populations of Thermotolerant Enterobacteriaceae in Recreational Water and Their Potential Interference with Fecal Escherichia coli Counts. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 4934-4938 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Duriez, P., Clermont, O., Bonacorsi, S., Bingen, E., Chaventre, A., Elion, J., Picard, B., Denamur, E. (2001). Commensal Escherichia coli isolates are phylogenetically distributed among geographically distinct human populations. Microbiology 147: 1671-1676 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gordon, D. M. (2001). Geographical structure and host specificity in bacteria and the implications for tracing the source of coliform contamination. Microbiology 147: 1079-1085 [Full Text]  
  • Gándara, B., Merino, A. L., Rogel, M. A., Martínez-Romero, E. (2001). Limited Genetic Diversity of Brucella spp.. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 235-240 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Johnson, J. R., Souza, V., Rocha, M., Valera, A., Eguiarte, L. E. (2000). Genetic Diversity within E. coli. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 5104-5105 [Full Text]  
  • Anderson, T. J. C., Haubold, B., Williams, J. T., Estrada-Franco{section}, J. G., Richardson, L., Mollinedo, R., Bockarie, M., Mokili, J., Mharakurwa, S., French, N., Whitworth, J., Velez, I. D., Brockman, A. H., Nosten, F., Ferreira, M. U., Day, K. P. (2000). Microsatellite Markers Reveal a Spectrum of Population Structures in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Mol Biol Evol 17: 1467-1482 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»