The etiological roles of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC), including enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC), diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC) and EAST1EC--a strain of E. coli that possesses no diarrheagenic characteristics other than the EAggEC heat-stable toxin 1 (EAST1) gene--remain controversial. To clarify the prevalence of DEC among healthy individuals in Osaka City, Japan, and to compare...

Virulence characteristics of diarrheal outbreak-associated Escherichia coli O55:NM, O126:NM, and O111:NM were examined. The E. coli O55:NM strains were atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), while the E. coli O126:NM and O111:NM strains should be classified as enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC). The contributions of EPEC and EAggEC to the human disease burden in Japan might be significantly ...

An enteroaggregative Verotoxin (Vtx)-producing Escherichia coli strain of serotype O104:H4 has recently been associated with an outbreak of haemolytic-uremic syndrome and bloody diarrhoea in humans mainly in Germany, but also in 14 other European countries, USA and Canada. This O104:H4 E. coli strain has often been described as an enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), i.e. a Vtx-producing E. coli ...

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) represents an elusive target, since they are not easily distinguished from fecal coliforms. To clarify if DEC are prevalent among sporadic cases of diarrheal illness in Osaka City, Japan, diarrheal specimens were examined for E. coli that were enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC), or enteroaggregati...

To determine the role of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in acute and persistent diarrhea in returned travelers, a case control study was performed. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) was detected in stool samples from 18 (10.7%) of 169 patients and 4 (3.7%) of 108 controls. Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC) was detected in 16 (9.5%) patients and 7 (6.5%) controls. Diffuse adherent E. coli strains ...

To the Editor: Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1) was originally found as an enterotoxin of EaggEC (1). Recently, Yamamoto et al. (2) reported that the EAST1 gene, or its variants, were present not only in EAggEC but in other diarrheagenic E. coli, including some entero-pathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Hedberg et al. (3) fo...

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) strains cause the persistent diarrhea in infants and compromised hosts in developing countries. These strains are currently defined as E. coli that adheres to HEp-2 cells in an aggregative adherence (AA) pattern. In this study, we compared 4 different rapid methods for the detection of EAggEC using a PCR assay, clump formation test, glass slide adhere...

S ummary. Shiga toxin 1 [Stxl]and Stx2-producing enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coll (EHEC) strains belonging to serotypes 0128:H2 and 0128:H12 adhered in a pattern of chains to HCT-8 and HEp-2 cells as well as plastic or glass coverslips. Scanning electron microscopic examination sharply distinguished this adherence pattern from those of EHEC 0157:H7 and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC). The ...

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) has been associated with persistent pediatric diarrhea in the developing world, yet the pathogenetic mechanisms of EAggEC infection are unknown. Our previous data have suggested that aggregative adherence of some EAggEC strains to HEp-2 cells is mediated by flexible, bundle-forming fimbriae, which we have termed aggregative adherence fimbriae I (AAF/I...