BACKGROUND How host cell glycosylation affects EPEC or EHEC O157:H7 invasion is unclear. This study investigated whether and how O-glycans were involved in EPEC or EHEC O157:H7 invasion into HT-29 cells. RESULTS Lectin histochemical staining confirmed stronger staining with PNA, which labeled Galβ1, 3 GalNAc (core 1 structure) in HT-29-Gal-OBN and C2GnT2-sh2/HT-29 cells, compared with control...

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157: H7 (EHEC) is a major foodborne pathogen capable of causing diarrhea and vomiting, with further complications such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). The aim of this study was to use the real-time PCR method to quantify the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7/pGFP in phyllosphere (leaf surface), rhizosphere (volume of soil tightly held by plant roots), and non-r...

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine antimicrobial drug resistance patterns of E. coli O157:H7 isolates and estimate the level of the pathogen. A total of 194 cloacae swab samples were collected randomly in two poultry farms. Standard cultural, biochemical, and serological (latex agglutination) methods were used to isolate E. coli O157:H7. The isolates were subjected to antimicr...

The recent outbreak of H7N9 influenza in China is of high concern to public health. H7 hemagglutinin (HA) plays a critical role in influenza entry and thus HA presents an attractive target for antivirals. Previous studies have suggested that the small molecule tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) inhibits the entry of influenza H3 HA by binding to the stem loop of HA and stabilizing the neutral pH co...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a major food safety concern for the beef industry. Several studies have provided evidence that cattle hides are the main source of beef carcass contamination during processing and that reductions in the E. coli O157:H7 load on the hides of cattle entering processing facilities will lead to reductions in carcass contamination. Bacteriophages have been proposed as a no...

The role of antibiotics in the treatment of Shiga-like toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli infection is still controversial. This study investigated the effects of colistin on Vero cell cytotoxicity caused by the enterohemorrhagic EC O157:H7, and the effects of colistin on Stx and endotoxin release by EC O157:H7. Vero cells were incubated with supernatant collected from EC O157:H7 cultured for 18 h w...

Among Escherichia coli strains of the O55:H7 serovar, which is considered the ancestor of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7, two subtypes, H7a,7b and H7a,7c (briefly, H7a,b and H7a,c, respectively), of the H7 flagellar antigen have been described previously [J. Wright and R. Villanueva, J. Hyg. (Camb.) 51:39-48, 1953; Y. A. Ratiner and V. A. Sinelnikova, Zh. Microbiol. Epidemiol. Imm...

Polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) is reported to regulate virulence in Salmonella, Yersinia sp. and Campylobacter jejuni, yet its role in Escherichia coli O157:H7 has not been investigated. To gain insights into its roles in E. coli O157:H7 virulence, pnp deletion mutants were generated and the major virulence factors were compared to their parental wild type strains. Deletion of pnp in E. ...

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensor was developed for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 by means of a new subtractive inhibition assay. In the subtractive inhibition assay, E. coli O157:H7 cells and goat polyclonal antibodies for E. coli O157:H7 were incubated for a short of time, and then the E. coli O157:H7 cells which bound antibodies were removed by a stepwise centrifugation proce...

Due to increasing concerns about the development of antimicrobial resistance amongst pathogenic bacteria, alternative strategies have been sought that do not use antibiotics to reduce pathogenic bacteria from foods and patients. A natural compound that has potent antimicrobial properties is citrus peel, which contains a variety of essential oils that inhibit the growth of or kill pathogenic bac...