Virulence Factors Associated with Pediatric Shigellosis in Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Shigellosis is a global human health problem and the incidence is highest among children. In the present work, mainShigellavirulence genes was examined by PCR and compared to symptoms of pediatric shigellosis. ThirtyShigellaisolates were identified from an etiologic study at which 1,339 children ranging 0–10 years old were enrolled.S. flexneriwas the most frequent species reaching 60.0% of isolates, 22.2% wereS. sonnei, and 6.6% were bothS. dysenteriaeandS. boydii. AllShigellainfected children had diarrhea, but not all were accompanied by others symptoms of bacillary dysentery. Among major virulence genes, the PCR typing revealedipaBCDwas present in all isolates, followed byIpaH7.8,set-1A,set-1B, sen/ospD3, virF,andinvE. The pathogenic potential of the ShET-1B subunit was observed in relation to dehydration (P<0.001) and ShET-2 related to the intestinal injury (P=0.033) evidenced by the presence of bloody diarrhea. Our results show associations among symptoms of shigellosis and virulence genes of clinical isolates ofShigellaspp.