Exploring the Sit-and-Wait Potential of the Bacterial Pathogen <i>Shigella flexneri</i>: A Comparative Genomic Study
The sit-and-wait hypothesis predicts that bacterial durability in the external environment is positively correlated with the evolution of bacterial virulence. Many bacterial pathogens have been recognized as potential sit-and-wait pathogens due to their long-term environmental survival (high durabil...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Biology and Life Sciences Forum |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9976/31/1/21 |
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| Summary: | The sit-and-wait hypothesis predicts that bacterial durability in the external environment is positively correlated with the evolution of bacterial virulence. Many bacterial pathogens have been recognized as potential sit-and-wait pathogens due to their long-term environmental survival (high durability) and high host mortality (high virulence), such as <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>, <i>Burkholderia pseudomallei</i>, <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>, etc. <i>Shigella flexneri</i> is a leading etiologic agent of diarrhea in China with long-term environmental survival capacity, high infection rates, and severe clinical consequences. It has multiple transmission routes like contaminated food (the food-borne route), insanitary water (the water-borne route), and direct person-to-person contacts, etc. These features make <i>Shigella flexneri</i> an ideal candidate for sit-and-wait bacterial pathogens. However, there is currently a lack of evidence to support the claim. In this study, we examine the potential of <i>S. flexneri</i> as a sit-and-wait pathogen via comparative genomic analysis, which reveals the unique features of <i>Shigella flexneri</i> in abiotic stress resistance, energy metabolism, and virulence factors and confirms that <i>S. flexneri</i> is a highly potential sit-and-wait bacterial pathogen. |
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| ISSN: | 2673-9976 |