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Pandemic Bacteremic Escherichia Coli Strains: Evolution and Emergence of Drug-Resistant Pathogens

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Escherichia coli, a Versatile Pathogen

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 416))

Abstract

In recent years, there have been several pandemics of E. coli strains which are highly virulent and antibiotics resistant. Here, we discuss one recent pandemic strain, ST131. These E. coli strains are members of the virulence-associated phylogenetic group B2 and exhibit extraintestinal virulence factors, including various adhesins, toxins, siderophores, and protectins. This group often also harbors a diverse range of antimicrobial resistance types and mechanisms and may have particular metabolic capacities that enable it to colonize many individuals asymptomatically, while out competing other E. coli strains. Here, we discuss this clonal group in the context of other pathogenic E. coli and focus on its specific characteristics in terms of resistance, virulence, and metabolism.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Eliora Z. Ron and Leah Reshef for critical reading of the manuscript and many constructive comments. The authors were supported by the German-Israeli Project Cooperation (DIP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Yael Yair & Uri Gophna

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  1. Yael Yair
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  2. Uri Gophna
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Correspondence to Yael Yair .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Gad Frankel

  2. Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Eliora Z Ron

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Yair, Y., Gophna, U. (2018). Pandemic Bacteremic Escherichia Coli Strains: Evolution and Emergence of Drug-Resistant Pathogens. In: Frankel, G., Ron, E. (eds) Escherichia coli, a Versatile Pathogen. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 416. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2018_109

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