Rabbit antiserum raised against the whole-cell antigen of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strain VT3 (stx1+ stx2+ eae+) was repeatedly adsorbed with heat-killed cells of different non-STEC strains and other enteric bacteria. Thus, the antiserum obtained was designated VT3 antiserum. VT3 antiserum reacted with intimin type gamma. We assessed the reactivity of VT3 antiserum to whole...

The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of 46 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated in São Paulo, Brazil, during the period from 1976 to 2003 were compared with those found among 30 non-STEC strains that carried eae and that belonged to the same serogroups as the STEC strains. All except two of the STEC and non-STEC strains of human origin were from sporadi...

Fecal swabs obtained from 1,300 healthy lambs in 93 flocks in Spain in 1997 were examined for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). STEC O157:H7 strains were isolated from 5 (0.4%) animals in 4 flocks, and non-O157 STEC strains were isolated from 462 (36%) lambs in 63 flocks. A total of 384 ovine STEC strains were characterized in this study. PCR showed that 213 (55%) strains carried t...

To the Editor: Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are an important cause of severe human disease. Although most infections are caused by strains of serogroup O157, STEC pathogenic to humans may belong to other serogroups usually referred to as non-O157 STEC. Recently, Tarr et al. (1) and Acheson et al. (2) described infections attributable to STEC O103 and expressed concer...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. Outbreaks are linked to bovine food sources. STEC O157:H7 has been responsible for the most severe outbreaks worldwide. However, non-O157 serotypes have emerged as important enteric pathogens in several countries. The main virulence factor of STEC is the production of Shig...

Agricultural fairs exhibiting livestock are increasingly implicated in human Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) outbreaks. To estimate livestock STEC O157:H7 prevalence at US fairs, we collected 2,919 fecal specimens at 29 county fairs in 2 states and at 3 state fairs in 2002. Fly pools were also collected. STEC O157:H7 was isolated from livestock at 31 (96.9%) of 32 fairs,...

BACKGROUND Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are an important cause of gastroenteritis in Australia and worldwide and can also result in serious sequelae such as haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). In this paper we describe the epidemiology of STEC in Australia using the latest available data. METHODS National and state notifications data, as well as data on serotypes, hospitalizat...

BACKGROUND Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection is associated with haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Therefore Norway has implemented strict guidelines for prevention and control of STEC infection. However, only a subgroup of STEC leads to HUS. Thus, identification of determinants differentiating high risk STEC (HUS STEC) from low risk STEC (non-HUS STEC) is needed to enable implement...

Timely accurate diagnosis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections is important. We evaluated a laboratory-developed real-time PCR (LD-PCR) assay targeting stx1, stx2, and rfbEO157 with 2,386 qualifying stool samples submitted to the microbiology laboratory of a tertiary care pediatric center between July 2011 and December 2013. Broth cultures of PCR-positive samples were tes...