Pathogenic effects of O-polysaccharide from Shigella flexneri strain

AIM To investigate the specific pathogenesis ofO-polysaccharide (O--PS) which is on the outermembrane of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) fromShigella fi^eri.METHODS The O--PS was isolated and purifiedfrom Shigella nexneri 5 MgoT by enzymatichydrolysis and gel chromatography. Effects ofO--PS were observed by in vitro experiment,(HeLa cell Culture ), and in vivo experiment(rabbit lieal loop assay).RESULTS ID vitro and in vivo e-cP6riments withthe purified O--PS from Shigells flexnefi revealedthat the O--PS alone was toxic to Hela cells andcaused mucosal inflammation and hemorrhagicexudation in lieal loop of rabbit.DISCUSSION O--PS might b6 one of the factorscausing diarrhea and its mechanism wasdifferent from endotoxin reaction of LPS. Themolecular mechanism of O-PS need furtherstudies.

Increased systemic RNA oxidative damage and diagnostic value of RNA oxidative metabolites during Shigella flexneri-induced intestinal infection

BACKGROUND Shigella flexneri(S.flexneri)is a major pathogen causing acute intestinal infection,but the systematic oxidative damage incurred during the course of infection has not been investigated.AIM To investigate the incurred systemic RNA oxidative damage and the diagnostic value of RNA oxidative metabolites during S.flexneri-induced intestinal infection.METHODS In this study,a Sprague-Dawley rat model of acute intestinal infection was established by oral gavage with S.flexneri strains.The changes in white blood cells(WBCs)and cytokine levels in blood and the inflammatory response in the colon were investigated.We also detected the RNA and DNA oxidation in urine and tissues.RESULTS S.flexneri infection induced an increase in WBCs,C-reactive protein,interleukin(IL)-6,IL-10,IL-1β,IL-4,IL-17a,IL-10,and tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)in blood.Of note,a significant increase in urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine(8-oxo-Gsn),an important marker of total RNA oxidation,was detected after intestinal infection(P=0.03).The urinary 8-oxo-Gsn level returned to the baseline level after recovery from infection.In addition,the results of a correlation analysis showed that urinary 8-oxo-Gsn was positively correlated with the WBC count and the cytokines IL-6,TNF-α,IL-10,IL-1β,and IL-17α.Further detection of the oxidation in different tissues showed that S.flexneri infection induced RNA oxidative damage in the colon,ileum,liver,spleen,and brain.CONCLUSION Acute infection induced by S.flexneri causes increased RNA oxidative damage in various tissues(liver,spleen,and brain)and an increase of 8-oxo-Gsn,a urinary metabolite.Urinary 8-oxo-Gsn may be useful as a biomarker for evaluating the severity and prognosis of infection.

Multi-drug Resistance and Characteristic of Integrons in Shigella spp.Isolated from China

Objective To investigate the characteristic of integrons and the relationship between integrons and antimicrobial resistance in Shigella spp. Methods Ninety Shigella strains （83 S. flexneri and 7 S. sonnei） were isolated from the stools of patients in China. Susceptibility to 8 antimicrobials was tested for all isolated strains. PCR, RFLP and sequencing analysis of integrons were applied to all of them. Results High prevalence of multi‐drug resistance （95.6%） was identified. Of the isolates 79 （87.8%） carried integrase genes of class 1 integron （3.3%）, class 2 integron （10.0%） or both （74.4%）. No intI3 was detected in the tested isolates. The prevalence of intI2 was significantly higher in isolates with multi‐drug resistance to at least 3 antibiotics than that in isolates with resistance to 2 and less antibiotics （P0.05）. Gene cassettes dfrA17‐aadA5, dfrA12‐orfF‐aadA2 of class 1 integron and dfrA1‐sat1‐aadA1 of class 2 integron were identified. Conclusion The class 2 integron may play a role in the emergence of multi‐drug resistance in Shigella spp.

Combined antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of phenyllactic acid and bacteriocin XJS01 against Shigella flexneri

This study investigated antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of the combined use of phenyllactic acid(PLA)and bacteriocin XJS01 against Shigella flexneri_14.The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)of PLA and XJS01 against S.flexneri_14 was 2.45 mg/mL and 18.75μg/mL,respectively.Growth and kill kinetics assays showed that the combined use of 1/2MIC PLA plus 1/2MIC XJS01 had a better activity against planktonic S.flexneri_14 compared to treatment with PLA and XJS01 used singly(1/2MIC and 2MIC).Cellular biochemical and morphological analysis revealed the remarkable ability of the combination in disrupting cell appearance and promoting deformation of planktonic S.flexneri_14 compared to single use.Moreover,S.flexneri_14 biofilm formation was inhibited and degraded by the combination,which showed a more remarkable antibiofilm activity than PLA and XJS01 when used singly.This study demonstrates the synergistic antibacterial activity of PLA and XJS01 against S.flexneri_14 in either planktonic or biofilm states in foods.

Dynamic Proteome Changes of Shigella flexneri 2a During Transition from Exponential Growth to Stationary Phase

Shigella flexneri is an infectious pathogen that causes dysentery to human, which remains a serious threat to public health, particularly in developing countries. In this study, the global protein expression patterns of S. flexneri during transition from exponential growth to stationary phase in vitro were analyzed by using 2-D PAGE combined with MALDI-TOF MS. In a time-course experiment with five time points, the relative abundance of 49 protein spots varied significantly. Interestingly, a putative outer membrane protein YciD （OmpW） was almost not detected in the exponential growth phase but became one of the most abundant proteins in the whole stationary-phase proteome. Some proteins regulated by the global regulator FNR were also significantly induced （such as AnsB, AspA, FrdAB, and KatG） or repressed （such as AceEF, OmpX, SodA, and SucAB） during the growth phase transition. These proteins may be the key effectors of the bacterial cell cycle or play important roles in the cellular maintenance and stress responses. Our expression profile data provide valuable information for the study of bacterial physiology and form the basis for future proteomic analyses of this pathogen.