High virulence gene diversity in isolated in Central Italy.

Globally, poses a continuous burden on human health, causing both self-limiting and life-threatening diseases. Therefore, studying the profile of virulence genes and their combinations is essential to monitor the epidemiology and pathogenic potential of this important species. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze related genetic features of clinical strains collected in Italy in 2012 in order to obtain a valid picture of their virulence profile that could be compared to similar studies made in other countries approximately in the same period. We conducted typing and fibronectin-collagen-T antigen (FCT) region typing in 122 strains. Furthermore, several additional virulence genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction. We found correlations between types and FCT region profiles. strains were mainly associated with FCT2 and FCT6, while and strains were associated with FCT4. FCT5 was mainly represented in , , and strains. Significantly, we defined subtypes for each FCT type based on the differences in single and double loci compared to the reference scheme used for the classification of the FCT region. In addition, new FCT-region variants with differences in multiple loci were also recorded. Cluster analysis based on virulence gene profiling showed a non-random distribution within each type. This study added new data to existing studies conducted worldwide and revealed new variability scores in circulating strains and new assortments in well-established virulence gene signatures.