Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are pathogens of significant public health concern. Several studies have confirmed that cattle are the main reservoir of STEC in Argentina and other countries. Although Shiga toxins represent the primary virulence factors of STEC, the adherence and colonization of the gut are also important in the pathogenesis of the bacteria. The aim of this study ...

The National Institute of Health of Japan, Tokyo (Received for publication, March 30, 1950) Evolutional steps of -nitrogen requirements of bacteria have been set up as follows. N2-N03-NH4-amino nitrogen-amino nitrogen+growth factor. Dysentery bacilli belong to the last step (3, 4, 6). As shown in the preceding report (5), Shigella dysenteriae (Shiga type) belongs to the transition zone between ...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important enteric pathogens worldwide, causing diarrhea with or without blood visibly present and hemolytic uremic syndrome. STEC are unique among diarrheogenic E coli in producing Shiga toxin type 1 and type 2, the virulence factors responsible for bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Cattle and other ruminants are the natural reservo...

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, plaquetopenia and kidney damage. It is the leading cause of acute renal failure in pediatric age and the second for chronic renal failure. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is the first etiologic agent of HUS being its main reservoir cattle and transmitted via contaminated food. At present, there ...

In this study, we developed a new rapid, economic, and automated microarray-based genotyping test for the standardized subtyping of Shiga toxins 1 and 2 of Escherichia coli. The microarrays from Alere Technologies can be used in two different formats, the ArrayTube and the ArrayStrip (which enables high-throughput testing in a 96-well format). One microarray chip harbors all the gene sequences ...

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) produces Shiga-like toxins (SLT), potent protein synthesis inhibitors. To further dissect the role of SLT-II in the course of disease, we have constructed E. coli TUV86-2, an isogenic SLT-II-negative mutant of EHEC strain 86-24. The slt-ii gene was inactivated by suicide vector mutagenesis. We also isolated derivatives of strain 86-24 that were cured of...

Following the recent outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 infection in Germany, the demand for fast detection of STEC has again increased. Various real-time PCR-based methods enabling detection of Shiga toxin genes (stx) have been developed and can be used for applications in food microbiology. The present study was conducted to evaluate the reliability of seven com...

Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with diarrhea or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) at Pusan University Hospital, South Korea, between 1990 and 1996 were examined for traits of the O157:H7 serogroup. One strain isolated from a patient with HUS belonged to the O157:H7 serotype, possessed a 60-MDa plasmid, the eae gene, and ability to produce Shiga toxin 1 but not Shiga toxin 2. Arbi...

To facilitate the study of intestinal transmission of the Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1)-converting phage H-19B, Tn10d-bla mutagenesis of an Escherichia coli H-19B lysogen was undertaken. Two mutants containing insertions in the gene encoding the A subunit of Stx1 were isolated. The resultant ampicillin-resistant E. coli strains lysogenic for these phages produced infectious H-19B particles but not activ...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (StEC) cause hemorrhagic colitis (hC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (hUS) in humans. Outbreaks are linked to bovine food sources. While StEC O157:h7 has been responsible for the most severe outbreaks worldwide, non-O157 serotypes have emerged as important enteric pathogens in several countries. the main virulence factor of StEC is the production of Shiga t...