Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are pathovars of E. coli that impact human health by causing childhood diseases. In this work, 118 synanthropic rodents of the genus Rattus from Buenos Aires, Argentina were evaluated as EPEC and STEC carriers. Rectal swab samples from captured animals were evaluated by conventional PCR to detect the presence of t...

Infection with the gram-negative enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), a food-borne pathogen, represents a significant risk to human health. Whereas diarrhea is a major consequence of this infection, malnutrition also occurs especially in severe and prolonged cases, which may aggravate the health status of the infected hosts. Here we examined the effect of EPEC infection on the intestinal u...

PURPOSE Palliative medicine is assuming an increasingly important role in patient care. Yet, most physicians did not learn this during their formal training. The Education for Physicians in End-of-life Care (EPEC) Project aims to increase physician knowledge in palliative care by disseminating the EPEC Curriculum through a train-the-trainer approach. An assessment of its use to help the project...

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) disrupts the structure and barrier function of host intestinal epithelial tight junctions (TJs). The impact of EPEC on TJ "fence function," i.e., maintenance of cell polarity, has not been investigated. In polarized cells, proteins such as beta(1)-integrin and Na(+)/K(+) ATPase are restricted to basolateral (BL) membranes. The outer membrane EPEC protein...

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...

UNLABELLED Translocation of effector proteins via a type III secretion system (T3SS) is a widespread infection strategy among Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Each pathogen translocates a particular set of effectors that subvert cell signaling in a way that suits its particular infection cycle. However, as effector unbalance might lead to cytotoxicity, the pathogens must employ mechanisms tha...

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are important human gastroenteritis agents. The prevalence of six non-LEE genes encoding type 3 translocated effectors was investigated. The nleC, cif and nleB genes were more prevalent in typical than in atypical EPEC, although a higher diversity of genes combinations was observed in atypical EPEC.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) pathotype represents a minor proportion of E. coli O103 strains shed in the feces of feedlot cattle. The draft genome sequences of 13 strains of EPEC O103 are reported here. The availability of the genome sequences will help in the assessment of genetic diversity and virulence potential of bovine EPEC O103.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) are related attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens. The genes responsible for the A/E pathology are carried on a chromosomal pathogenicity island termed the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). Both pathogens share a high degree of homology in the LEE and additional O islands. EHEC prevalence is much lower in areas w...

Isolates of the most common O serogroups of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) associated with infant diarrhea (designated class I) adhere to Hep-2 cells; the genes for this adhesin, termed EPEC adherence factor (EAF), are located on plasmids 50-70 MDa in size. Volunteers ingested 10(10) organisms of an O127:H6 Hep-2-adhesive class I strain (E2348/69) or its plasmid-minus, nonadhesive der...