Virulence Profiles among Gastrointestinal and Extraintestinal Clinical Isolates of Plesiomonas shigelloides

Abstract

The genus Plesiomonas, represented by a single species, Plesiomonas shigelloides, is a gram-negative bacillus associated with gastrointestinal and extraintestinal diseases in humans. In this study, 44 clinical isolates (gastrointestinal, n = 41; extraintestinal, n = 3) were genetically confirmed to be P. shigelloides using the hug gene. All 20 virulence genes were detected in the gastrointestinal isolates, ranging from 7.7% to 100%; however, only 12 genes were detected in the extra-gastrointestinal isolates, ranging from 33.3% to 100%. The phlA gene was significantly associated with the gastrointestinal isolates (P = 0.0216). The results of this study suggest that phlA may play a role in gastrointestinal infections. However, pilF, tolC, and fur were detected in both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal clinical isolates, and further investigations are warranted to elucidate their role in the pathogenesis of P. shigelloides.