Strain of E. coli may offer protections against its more malevolent
cousins

Date:
July 7, 2020
Source:
University of Cincinnati
Summary:
Researchers say E. coli Nissle may protect human cells against
other more pathogenic strains of E. coli such as E. coli 0157:H7,
which is commonly associated with contaminated hamburger meat.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Typically, there aren't a lot of positive thoughts when E. coli, generally found in animal and human intestines, is mentioned. It's been blamed for closing beaches and swimming pools and shuttering restaurants because
of contamination in salad bars, meats or other food items.


==========================================================================
But for more than a century, one strain of the bacteria, E. coli Nissle
1917, has been used as a probiotic and therapeutic agent. Currently,
it is used in some countries to treat intestinal inflammation.

Now researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine say
E. coli Nissle may also protect human cells against other more pathogenic strains of E.

coli such as E. coli 0157:H7, which is commonly associated with
contaminated hamburger meat.

Alison Weiss, PhD, professor, and Suman Pradhan, PhD, research associate,
both in in the UC Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, used stem cell-derived human intestinal organoid tissues to evaluate the safety of Nissle and its ability to protect from pathogenic
E. coli bacteria 0157:H7.

They found that human intestinal tissues (HIO) were not harmed by
the Nissle bacteria introduced into human intestinal organoids while
pathogenic E. coli bacteria destroyed the epithelial layer of the
HIO. More importantly, Nissle protected the HIOs when added prior to
pathogenic E. coli bacterial infection.

The study's findings are available online in mBio, the scholarly journal
of the American Society for Microbiology.

"Nissle did not kill pathogenic E. coli, but rather ramps up your
intestinal responses and prepares you for possible pathogens attacking the intestine," explains Weiss, corresponding author of the study. "We don't
know how it does this, but our study confirms its effectiveness in human
cells. Our hope is to figure out how this is happening." "There are all
sorts of flavors of E. coli," says Weiss. "They gather genes from all
over the place and channel a whole bunch of other pathogens. There are
E.coli which can also cause urinary tract infections. What is special
is that bad E. coli have a chunk of extra genes that allow them to
cause problems. The good E. coli are stripped down of these genes and
they don't have the capacity to do bad things." Weiss says they hope to
learn more about the abilities of Nissle in order to develop a treatment
of E. coli infections that often result from the production of Shiga
toxins. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that
265,000 such infections occur annually causing stomach cramps, diarrhea
and vomiting. Cases can be mild to severe and affect people of all ages,
though the illness can be particularly hard on smaller children, who are
more likely to die from an infection, says Weiss. Moreover, antibiotic treatment of children with E. coli 0157:H7 infection increases the risk
of hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

"Right now there is no cure for an E. coli infection," says Weiss. "We
can give individuals fluids, but it can be really deadly and it would be
really nice for us to figure out how to cure it." "E. coli is carried asymptotically by all sorts of animals and released into their fecal
matter and then leading to possible contamination if it comes into
contact with food items or is ingested," says Weiss. "It is difficult
though still possible to screen meat for E. coli. The best possible
protection is to cook meat properly before consuming it. E. coli is also
found in raw vegetables such as lettuce and it can be difficult to detect
and remove." The study conducted by Weiss and Pradhan was supported by National Institutes of Health grants U19-AI116491 and R01AI139027 and
by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
grant P30 DK078392.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Cincinnati. Original
written by Cedric Ricks. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Suman Pradhan, Alison Ann Weiss. Probiotic Properties of Escherichia
coli
Nissle in Human Intestinal Organoids. mBio, 2020; 11 (4) DOI:
10.1128/ mBio.01470-20 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200707183922.htm

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