Journal of Microbiology

Research article

Genomic signatures associated with epidemiologically defined high-risk pathogenic Escherichia coli isolates identified by interpretable machine learning: Yoojung Hwang, Woo Young Cho, Woojung Lee, Insun Joo, Jeong-Ih Shin, Mi-Ran Seo, Seung-Hun Shin, Kwan Soo Ko, Kun Taek Park, Yeun-Jun Chung, Seung-Hyun Jung; J. Microbiol. 2026;64(8):e2604011. Published online August 31, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2604011

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material: Pathogenic Escherichia coli is a major cause of foodborne illness worldwide and includes strains capable of causing severe disease. To establish a genome-informed framework for foodborne outbreak surveillance, we analyzed 1,029 E. coli isolates from clinical, food, livestock, and environmental sources using whole-genome sequencing. Pathogenic isolates obtained from human clinical cases or linked to documented outbreaks were classified as epidemiologically defined high-risk (EpiHR), whereas the remaining pathogenic isolates were classified as non-EpiHR. Virulence-associated genomic features were extracted using a bioinformatics pipeline, and four machine learning (ML) algorithms, including gradient boosting machine, random forest (RF), and support vector machines with linear and radial basis function kernels, were evaluated. Among them, the RF model showed the best performance, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98 and accuracy of 0.93 in 10-fold cross-validation. Additional leave-one-group-out validation showed retained discrimination across held-out sequence types and serotypes, although performance was reduced when isolates were grouped by isolation source. Evaluation using an independent test dataset of 1,908 publicly available pathogenic E. coli genomes showed an AUC of 0.97 and a sensitivity of 0.98. Feature importance analysis using Shapley additive explanations identified influential predictive features, including traT, etpB, and enterotoxin-associated genes. A reduced 10-feature model achieved an AUC of 0.79 in the independent test dataset, supporting its exploratory use for future simplified screening approaches. These results indicate that genome-based ML provides a sensitive framework for surveillance-oriented prioritization of EpiHR pathogenic E. coli isolates, with model predictions interpreted together with epidemiological information.

Article

Revealing genetic variation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Korean isolates using whole genome sequence analysis: Eun-Seo Lee, Su Min Kyung, Jun Ho Lee, Xi-Rui Xiang, Han Sang Yoo; J. Microbiol. 2026;64(5):e2512010. Published online April 21, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2512010

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) is the etiological agent of porcine pleuropneumoniae (PP), a high contagious respiratory disease with significant impact on the swine industry in both clinically and economically. Despite of the several attempts to control APP, the emergence of novel serotypes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strains highlights the importance of monitoring the genetic characteristics of APP at single nucleotide level. Despite the importance of genomic surveillance of APP to develop effective control strategies, genetic information on the recent Korean isolates of APP is not available at whole genome level. Therefore, in this study, six APP strains were isolated from porcine lungs with characteristic lesions of PP from 2022 to 2024. And their whole genomic sequences, serotypes, virulence factors, and AMR traits were investigated using combined short- and long-read sequencing methods. In silico PCR serotyping identified the isolates as serotype 1, 7, and 15, while one isolate was non-typeable. Multiple AMR genes including Hinf_PBP3_BLA, Ecol_EFTu_PLV, tet(B), tet(O), tetR, sul2, aph(3'')-Ib, aph(6)-Id, and aph(3')-Ia were detected. Also, these genes were located with adjacent to mobile genetic elements, suggesting the possibility of horizontal gene transfer. Phylogenetic comparison with 40 global APP complete genomes, presented that Korean isolates were closely related with China and Switzerland strains. This study provides the whole genome sequences based genetic characterization on the recent Korean isolates of APP, and this study emphasizes that continuous monitoring of APP genomic variation to support effective control of porcine pleuropneumoniae.

Article

PneusPage: A WEB-BASED TOOL for the analysis of Whole-Genome Sequencing Data of Streptococcus pneumonia: Eunju Hong, Youngjin Shin, Hyunseong Kim, Woo Young Cho, Woo-Hyun Song, Seung-Hyun Jung, Minho Lee; J. Microbiol. 2025;63(1):e.2409020. Published online January 24, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2409020

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

With the advent of whole-genome sequencing, opportunities to investigate the population structure, transmission patterns, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and virulence determinants of Streptococcus pneumoniae at high resolution have been increasingly expanding. Consequently, a user-friendly bioinformatics tool is needed to automate the analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae whole-genome sequencing data, summarize clinically relevant genomic features, and further guide treatment options. Here, we developed PneusPage, a web-based tool that integrates functions for species prediction, molecular typing, drug resistance determination, and data visualization of Streptococcus pneumoniae. To evaluate the performance of PneusPage, we analyzed 80 pneumococcal genomes with different serotypes from the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Project and compared the results with those from another platform, PathogenWatch. We observed a high concordance between the two platforms in terms of serotypes (100% concordance rate), multilocus sequence typing (100% concordance rate), penicillin-binding protein typing (88.8% concordance rate), and the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Clusters (98.8% concordance rate). In addition, PneusPage offers integrated analysis functions for the detection of virulence and mobile genetic elements that are not provided by previous platforms. By automating the analysis pipeline, PneusPage makes whole-genome sequencing data more accessible to non-specialist users, including microbiologists, epidemiologists, and clinicians, thereby enhancing the utility of whole-genome sequencing in both research and clinical settings. PneusPage is available at https://pneuspage.minholee.net/.

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Genomic signatures associated with epidemiologically defined high-risk pathogenic Escherichia coli isolates identified by interpretable machine learning
Yoojung Hwang, Woo Young Cho, Woojung Lee, Insun Joo, Jeong-Ih Shin, Mi-Ran Seo, Seung-Hun Shin, Kwan Soo Ko, Kun Taek Park, Yeun-Jun Chung, Seung-Hyun Jung
Journal of Microbiology.2026; 64(8): e2604011. CrossRef
Genomic analysis and pneumococcal population dynamics across PCV implementation in South Korea, 1997–2023
Jeong-Ih Shin, Sung-Yeon Cho, Jiyon Chu, Chulmin Park, Minho Lee, Joon Young Song, Seung-Hyun Jung, Dong-Gun Lee
Microbial Genomics .2025;[Epub] CrossRef
GPS Pipeline: portable, scalable genomic pipeline for Streptococcus pneumoniae surveillance from Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Project
Harry C. H. Hung, Narender Kumar, Victoria Dyster, Corin Yeats, Benjamin Metcalf, Yuan Li, Paulina A. Hawkins, Lesley McGee, Stephen D. Bentley, Stephanie W. Lo
Nature Communications.2025;[Epub] CrossRef

Article

Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 isolated in Brazil revealed to be more invasive and inflammatory in murine colon compared to ST19 strains: Amanda Aparecida Seribelli , Tamara R. Machado Ribeiro , Patrick da Silva† , Isabela Mancini Martins , Felipe Pinheiro Vilela , Marta I. Cazentini Medeiros , Kamila Chagas Peronni , Wilson Araújo da Silva Junior , Cristiano Gallina Moreira , Juliana Pfrimer Falcão; J. Microbiol. 2021;59(9):861-870. Published online August 12, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-021-1082-z

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Abstract PDF

Salmonella Typhimurium (ST313) has caused an epidemic of invasive disease in sub-Saharan Africa and has been recently identified in Brazil. As the virulence of this ST is poorly understood, the present study aimed to (i) perform the RNAseq in vitro of S. Typhimurium STm30 (ST313) grown in Luria-Bertani medium at 37°C; (ii) compare it with the RNAseq of the S. Typhimurium SL1344 (ST19) and S. Typhimurium STm11 (ST19) strains under the same growing conditions; and (iii) examine the colonization capacity and expression of virulence genes and cytokines in murine colon. The STm30 (ST313) strain exhibited stronger virulence and was associated with a more inflammatory profile than the strains SL1344 (ST19) and STm11 (ST19), as demonstrated by transcriptome and in vivo assay. The expression levels of the hilA, sopD2, pipB, and ssaS virulence genes, other Salmonella pathogenicity islands SPI-1 and SPI-2 genes or effectors, and genes of the cytokines IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17, IL-22, and IL-12 were increased during ST313 infection in C57BL/6J mice. In conclusion, S. Typhimurium STm30 (ST313) isolated from human feces in Brazil express higher levels of pathogenesis- related genes at 37°C and has stronger colonization and invasion capacity in murine colon due to its high expression levels of virulence genes, when compared with the S. Typhimurium SL1344 (ST19) and STm11 (ST19) strains. STm30 (ST313) also induces stronger expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in this organ, suggesting that it causes more extensive tissue damage.

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Inflammation, toxicity, and apoptosis reducing potential of bacteriophage Ariobarzanes on intestinal cells infected with Salmonella Typhimurium
Mina Rahiminejad, Maryam Montaseri, Mohammad Hashem Yousefi, Saeed Nazifi, Jeroen Wagemans, Saeid Hosseinzadeh
Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals the Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Salmonella Typhimurium ST34 and ST19 Lineages
Zhen-xu Zhuo, Yu-lian Feng, Xi-wei Zhang, Hao Liu, Fang-yin Zeng, Xiao-yan Li
Journal of Microbiology.2024; 62(10): 859. CrossRef
Incremental increases in physiological fluid shear progressively alter pathogenic phenotypes and gene expression in multidrug resistant Salmonella
Jiseon Yang, Jennifer Barrila, Eric A. Nauman, Seth D. Nydam, Shanshan Yang, Jin Park, Ami D. Gutierrez-Jensen, Christian L. Castro, C. Mark Ott, Kristina Buss, Jason Steel, Anne D. Zakrajsek, Mary M. Schuff, Cheryl A. Nickerson
Gut Microbes.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Virulence potential of Salmonella 1,4, [5],12:i:- strains isolated during decades from different sources in the Southeast region of Brazil
Giovana do Nascimento Pereira, Amanda Aparecida Seribelli, Carolina Nogueira Gomes, Felipe Pinheiro Vilela, Ludmilla Tonani, Monique Ribeiro Tiba-Casas, Marta Inês Cazentini Medeiros, Dália dos Prazeres Rodrigues, Márcia Regina von Zeska Kress, Juliana Pf
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology.2023; 54(4): 2827. CrossRef
Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) aminoglycoside-resistant ST313 isolates feature unique pathogenic mechanisms to reach the bloodstream
Isabela Mancini Martins, Amanda Aparecida Seribelli, Tamara R. Machado Ribeiro, Patrick da Silva, Bruna Cardinali Lustri, Rodrigo T. Hernandes, Juliana Pfrimer Falcão, Cristiano Gallina Moreira
Infection, Genetics and Evolution.2023; 116: 105519. CrossRef
Regulator of RNase E activity modulates the pathogenicity of Salmonella Typhimurium
Jaejin Lee, Eunkyoung Shin, Ji-Hyun Yeom, Jaeyoung Park, Sunwoo Kim, Minho Lee, Kangseok Lee
Microbial Pathogenesis.2022; 165: 105460. CrossRef
Antimicrobial resistance and genetic background of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica strains isolated from human infections in São Paulo, Brazil (2000–2019)
Aline Parolin Calarga, Marco Tulio Pardini Gontijo, Luiz Gonzaga Paula de Almeida, Ana Tereza Ribeiro de Vasconcelos, Leandro Costa Nascimento, Taíse Marongio Cotrim de Moraes Barbosa, Thalita Mara de Carvalho Perri, Silvia Regina dos Santos, Monique Ribe
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology.2022; 53(3): 1249. CrossRef

Article

Molecular genomic characterization of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus isolates from South Korea: Yu Jung Won , Lae Hyung Kang , Sung Geun Lee , Seung Won Park , Jae Ik Han , Soon Young Paik; J. Microbiol. 2019;57(10):927-937. Published online August 3, 2019; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-019-9174-8

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Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne emerging infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV) and is a threat to public health due to its high fatality rate. However, details on tick-to-human transmission of SFTSV are limited. In this study, we determined the wholegenome sequence of a South Korean SFTSV strain (CUKJJ01), compared it to those of other recent human SFTSV isolates, and identified the genetic variations and relationships among the SFTSV strains. The genome of CUK-JJ01 was consistent with the genome of other members of the genus Phlebovirus, including the large (L), medium (M), and small (S) segments of 6368, 3378, and 1744 nucleotides, respectively. Based on amino acid sequences of the M and S segments, which are used to distinguish the six SFTSV genotypes, CUK-JJ01 was classified as genotype B. Segment analysis revealed that the L, M, and S segments were 97.49%, 97.18%, and 97.94% similar to those of KAJNH2/2013/ Korea, ZJZHSH-FDE/2012/China, and KADGH/2013/Korea, respectively. Currently, only few studies on SFTSV have been conducted in Korean population and most were limited to serological analysis. Although the present study has limitations in terms of number of sample analyzed, the findings may serve as basis to understand the transmission and spread of SFTSV, as well as for the development of diagnostic and detection methods for viral recombinants by comparing the whole genome sequence of SFTSV isolates from South Korea and that of foreign isolates.

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Current status of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in China (Review)
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International Journal of Molecular Medicine.2025; 56(5): 1. CrossRef
The pathogen of SFTS: Bandavirus dabieense phylogenetic analysis and development of an online tool for genotyping
Hongxiao Wu, Tingting Liu, Yameng Mu, Ruihua Zhang, Jiale Yuan, Yanli Xu, Wenjing Niu, Yamin Sun, Wenchao Lin, Chuan Song, Wei Zhang, Ling Lin, Yuanyuan Zhang, Zhihai Chen
Acta Tropica.2025; 266: 107625. CrossRef
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Journal of Medical Virology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Genetic Diversity, Regional Distribution, and Clinical Characteristics of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Gangwon Province, Korea, a Highly Prevalent Region, 2019–2021
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Analysis of cross neutralizing activity of antibodies from sera of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome patients to deal with different genotype strains
Jiaxin Xu, Yuanni Liu, Fan Zhang, Xin Wang, Weijin Huang, Yulong Wu, Boqing Li, Jiapeng Zhuang, Yixing Bing, Youchun Wang, Yuanyuan Qiao
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Development of a real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for the detection of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus
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