Widespread adhesion and iron acquisition traits in Escherichia coli strains obtained from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients.

backgroundThe intestinal microbiome is essential for maintaining a balanced and healthy gut environment. Certain Escherichia coli strains can disrupt it through various pathogenic factors and have been linked to gastrointestinal diseases. In this study, E. coli strains were isolated from individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy controls. Identification was performed using microbiological and molecular methods. The presence of key virulence factors, including adhesins (iha, lpfA, afaC, sfaDE, papC, focG, aafII), iron acquisition systems (chuA, iroN, fepC, irp2, iutA, ireA), hemolysin (hlyA), microcins and colicins (cva, colY), and multifunctional factors (malX, yajQ), was assessed by polymerase chain reaction.

resultsThe genes lpfA, papC, iroN, ireA, cva, and malX were found to be significantly more prevalent in IBS-associated isolates following Bonferroni correction (p < 0.0031). A higher prevalence of sfaDE, focG, chuA, and hlyA was also observed, though these differences were not statistically significant. Conversely, the genes iha and irp2 were significantly more common in E. coli isolates from healthy individuals. Notably, none of the isolates harbored the afaC and aafII genes. This study demonstrates significant differences in the distribution of specific virulence genes between E. coli isolates from IBS patients and healthy individuals. The higher prevalence of specific genes in IBS isolates may contribute to their pathogenic potential, whereas the frequent occurrence of iha and irp2 in healthy individuals may suggest a role in maintaining a balanced gut microbiome. These findings highlight distinct virulence gene profiles, suggesting a potential association between these E. coli factors and IBS disease status.