Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq.
10.21608/mb.2025.353096.1230
Abstract
Eight distinct phylogenetic groups of Escherichia coli strains have been identified through a novel technique called quadruplex PCR. The exact evolutionary relationships among these bacterial groups remain ambiguous. The Clermont phylotyping technique has been employed in this study to elucidate the phylogenetic groups of E. coli. This study aimed to establish the connections between isolates derived from clinical and environmental samples, isolate them, diagnose them, and subsequently classify E. coli bacteria into phylogroups and strains. Five hundred samples were collected from Karbala, subsequently cultured, isolated, and diagnosed biochemically, with confirmation via PCR and according to the Clermont classification. In the 201 positive isolates, two pathotype groups (DEC/EXPEC) and their associated subpathotype groups (APEC, UPEC, SEPEC, MPEC) were identified, alongside seven phyllocrops (A, B1, B2, C, D, E, and F), as well as the Unknown group and clade (I, II, V). Commensal E. coli was additionally identified. For this investigation, a novel strain classification was established, and these strains were initially catalogued in the NCBI gene library under the designation "Hetero-hybrid pathogenic," which is the plural of "EXPEC + DEC + DEC." An extension number was obtained upon the initial registration of ten new E. coli isolates with the NCBI. A novel category was established specifically for this study; E. coli bacteria were identified utilising specific diagnostic primers, and pathogenic strains initially discovered in Iraq were diagnosed.
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