Differentiation of Shiga toxin and Vero cytotoxin type 1 genes by polymerase chain reaction.
Two sets of synthetic oligonucleotide primers were used in a polymerase chain reaction technique to distinguish genes for Shiga toxin in Shigella dysenteriae 1 and type 1 Vero cytotoxin (VT1) in Escherichia coli. VT1a and VT1b primers directed at a common 130-base-pair (bp) fragment of the stx and sltI genes detected template nucleic acid in both Shiga toxin-positive S. dysenteriae 1 and VT1-producing E. coli strains. VT1c and VT1d primers, targeting a 140-bp fragment of the promoter region of the sltIA gene, were negative in the polymerase chain reaction with S. dysenteriae 1 nucleic acid and positive with nucleic acids from all strains found to produce VT1 in toxin-specific neutralization tests. Primer specificity was determined in the polymerase chain reaction using nucleic acid extracted from 49 strains of representative enteric pathogens defined in terms of their toxigenicity.
Pollard
D R
DR
National Laboratories for Special and Enteric Pathogens, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Johnson
W M
WM
Lior
H
H
Tyler
S D
SD
Rozee
K R
KR
D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D022603:Shiga Toxins; D012762:Shigella dysenteriae / Q000235:genetics*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D022603:Shiga Toxins