Structure of the Shigella dysenteriae haem transport locus and its phylogenetic distribution in enteric bacteria

The ability to transport and use haemin as an iron source is frequently observed in clinical isolates of Shigella spp. and pathogenic Escherichia coli . We found that many of these haem‐utilizing E. coli strains contain a gene that hybridizes at high stringency to the S. dysenteriae type 1 haem receptor gene, shuA . These shuA ‐positive strains belong to multiple phylogenetic groups and include clinical isolates from enteric, urinary tract and...