The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates
Early determination of the Shiga toxin type of Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) is crucial for guiding STEC-infected patients for proper and timely treatment and patient care. Most diagnostic microbiology laboratories rely on PCR assays to detect the presence of <i...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Toxins |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/6/267 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849433850298499072 |
|---|---|
| author | Surangi H. Thilakarathna Brendon Parsons Linda Chui |
| author_facet | Surangi H. Thilakarathna Brendon Parsons Linda Chui |
| author_sort | Surangi H. Thilakarathna |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Early determination of the Shiga toxin type of Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) is crucial for guiding STEC-infected patients for proper and timely treatment and patient care. Most diagnostic microbiology laboratories rely on PCR assays to detect the presence of <i>stx1</i> and/or <i>stx2</i> and enzymatic immunoassays (EIA) to detect the presence of the Shiga toxins 1 and/or 2 in STEC-positive stool samples. Occasionally, the stool samples test positive for STEC by PCR assays but test negative for the presence of Shiga toxins. Insufficient toxin production under laboratory conditions is the main culprit of this discordance. To test whether EIA-based STEC detection could be improved, various clinical STEC strains were treated with mitomycin C, which is a commonly used inducer of Shiga toxin production. A dose-dependent increase in Shiga toxin production, in response to mitomycin C doses of up to 500 ng/mL, was observed without any bactericidal effects. Depending on the serotype, 5–50 times more Shiga toxin 2 was produced than Shiga toxin 1. Shiga toxin production was not induced by the mitomycin C treatment in certain STEC serotypes carrying the toxin subtypes <i>stx1a</i>, <i>stx2a</i>, <i>2b</i>, <i>2f</i>, <i>or 2h</i>. This diversity in toxin production indicates that other factors may determine toxin expression in certain STEC strains, which warrant further exploration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b8e15731535e4a7ea6b16b9c3628339c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-6651 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxins |
| spelling | doaj-art-b8e15731535e4a7ea6b16b9c3628339c2025-08-20T03:26:52ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512025-05-0117626710.3390/toxins17060267The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC IsolatesSurangi H. Thilakarathna0Brendon Parsons1Linda Chui2Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, CanadaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, CanadaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, CanadaEarly determination of the Shiga toxin type of Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) is crucial for guiding STEC-infected patients for proper and timely treatment and patient care. Most diagnostic microbiology laboratories rely on PCR assays to detect the presence of <i>stx1</i> and/or <i>stx2</i> and enzymatic immunoassays (EIA) to detect the presence of the Shiga toxins 1 and/or 2 in STEC-positive stool samples. Occasionally, the stool samples test positive for STEC by PCR assays but test negative for the presence of Shiga toxins. Insufficient toxin production under laboratory conditions is the main culprit of this discordance. To test whether EIA-based STEC detection could be improved, various clinical STEC strains were treated with mitomycin C, which is a commonly used inducer of Shiga toxin production. A dose-dependent increase in Shiga toxin production, in response to mitomycin C doses of up to 500 ng/mL, was observed without any bactericidal effects. Depending on the serotype, 5–50 times more Shiga toxin 2 was produced than Shiga toxin 1. Shiga toxin production was not induced by the mitomycin C treatment in certain STEC serotypes carrying the toxin subtypes <i>stx1a</i>, <i>stx2a</i>, <i>2b</i>, <i>2f</i>, <i>or 2h</i>. This diversity in toxin production indicates that other factors may determine toxin expression in certain STEC strains, which warrant further exploration.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/6/267Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC)mitomycin Cenzymatic immunoassays (EIA)STEC subtypesShiga toxin productiondiagnostics |
| spellingShingle | Surangi H. Thilakarathna Brendon Parsons Linda Chui The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates Toxins Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) mitomycin C enzymatic immunoassays (EIA) STEC subtypes Shiga toxin production diagnostics |
| title | The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates |
| title_full | The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates |
| title_short | The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates |
| title_sort | effect of mitomycin c on induction of shiga toxin production in clinical stec isolates |
| topic | Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) mitomycin C enzymatic immunoassays (EIA) STEC subtypes Shiga toxin production diagnostics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/6/267 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT surangihthilakarathna theeffectofmitomycinconinductionofshigatoxinproductioninclinicalstecisolates AT brendonparsons theeffectofmitomycinconinductionofshigatoxinproductioninclinicalstecisolates AT lindachui theeffectofmitomycinconinductionofshigatoxinproductioninclinicalstecisolates AT surangihthilakarathna effectofmitomycinconinductionofshigatoxinproductioninclinicalstecisolates AT brendonparsons effectofmitomycinconinductionofshigatoxinproductioninclinicalstecisolates AT lindachui effectofmitomycinconinductionofshigatoxinproductioninclinicalstecisolates |