Occurrence and properties of hly-plasmids in E. coli from patients of the Berne area.
1818 E. coli wild-type strains from patients of the region of Berne were screened for their haemolytic property and for carriage of hly-plasmids. Among 885 strains of fecal and 993 strains of urinary tract isolates 136 (15%) and 259 (28%) were haemolytic respectively. In five fecal, but none of the urinary strains the haemolytic activity was encoded by transmissible plasmids. In spite of independent origin, the five isolated hly-plasmids proved to be very similar. They all showed a high transfer-frequency according to their derepressed state and coded for F-sexpili. Four belonged to the rare F VI- and one to the F IV-incompatibility group. Restriction patterns after Eco R1- and Hind III-digestion were identical in three and similar in the other two plasmids. Comparing the plasmids from Berne with hly-plasmids isolated in Essex, similarities as well as specific differences were detected.
D001437:Bacteriuria; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004739:England; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006459:Hemolysin Factors; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids; D013557:Switzerland; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes