CHARACTERISTICS OF PHYLOGENETIC AND VIRULENCE FACTORS OF Escherichia coli STRAINS IN HOSPITAL WASTEWATER IN  THE MEKONG DELTA PROVINCES

Ngô Thanh Phong; Đặng Văn Chính; Trần Đỗ Hùng; Huỳnh Xuân Phong

doi:10.34238/tnu-jst.13161

CHARACTERISTICS OF PHYLOGENETIC AND VIRULENCE FACTORS OF Escherichia coli STRAINS IN HOSPITAL WASTEWATER IN THE MEKONG DELTA PROVINCES

About this article

Received: 01/07/25 Revised: 02/12/25 Published: 03/12/25

Authors

1. Ngo Thanh Phong, Institute of Food and Biotechnology - Can Tho University; Institute of Public Health in Ho Chi Minh city
2. Dang Van Chinh, Institute of Public Health in Ho Chi Minh city
3. Tran Do Hung, Can Tho University Medicine and Pharmacy
4. Huynh Xuan Phong , Institute of Food and Biotechnology - Can Tho University

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the phylogenetic groups and virulence genes of Escherichia coli strains isolated from hospital wastewater in several provinces of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. A total of 181 E. coli strains were isolated, comprising 100 from untreated samples and 81 from treated ones. Phylogenetic groups were identified using the Quadruplex PCR method, while virulence genes were detected via PCR targeting 10 specific genes associated with diarrheagenic E. coli strains. The results showed that phylogenetic groups B1 and A were predominant in untreated samples, whereas group C was dominant after treatment. Regarding virulence genes, only two were detected in untreated samples astA (4%) and daaD (9%). In contrast, the number and diversity of virulence genes increased in treated samples, including eaeA (6.17%), eagg (4.94%), astA (9.88%), and daaD (16.05%). These findings suggest that although wastewater treatment reduces the bacterial load, virulent E. coli strains may persist, posing a potential risk of environmental dissemination and highlighting the urgent need to improve hospital wastewater treatment technologies.

Keywords

Phylogenetic; Virulence genes; Escherichia coli; Hopital wastewater; Quadruplex PCR

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.13161

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