Basic Info

Serotype prediction based on their surface antigens, such as O, H, and K antigens.

More Details

The serotype represents the genetic markers displayed by proteins in blood plasma. Due to the genetic polymorphism of some serum proteins, phenotypic differences arise among individuals. Therefore, serotyping has become an important classification method, especially for many foodborne microorganisms such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. This method is also widely used in epidemiological investigations. By determining the serotype of bacteria, we can provide a solid basis for antimicrobial therapy. Specifically, through in-depth analysis of the characteristics of bacterial somatic cells, such as the O antigen, cell surface proteins, H antigen, and K antigen, we can accurately classify bacteria based on their serotypes.

What's New

24 O serotypes have been identified in Cronobacter, including five in C. sakazakii, four in C. malonaticus, four in C. turicensis, five in C. dublinensis, three in C. muytjensii, two in C. universalis, and only one in C. condimenti. The O-antigen gene clusters (O-AGCs) in Cronobacter spp are flanked by galF and gnd. O-antigen-processing genes (wzx/wzy or wzm/wzt) and some glycosyltransferase genes exhibit serotype-specific patterns.

CroTrait uses both O-antigen processing genes and glycosyltransferase genes for O serotyping, which allows accurate Cronobacter O serotype prediction, especially on a large scale.

Additional Information

Related links：

https://github.com/happywlu/CroTrait

Literature

Wang L, Zhu W, Lu G, et al. In silico species identification and serotyping for Cronobacter isolates by use of whole-genome sequencing data. Int J Food Microbiol. 2021;358:109405. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109405

Blažková M, Javůrková B, Vlach J, et al. Diversity of O Antigens within the Genus Cronobacter: from Disorder to Order. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015;81(16):5574-5582. doi:10.1128/AEM.00277-15

Sun Y, Wang M, Liu H, et al. Development of an O-antigen serotyping scheme for Cronobacter sakazakii. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2011;77(7):2209-2214. doi:10.1128/AEM.02229-10