The detection of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was modified and used to detect heat-labile (LT) enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) from specimens of faeces sent to a routine diagnostic laboratory. Strains of LT ETEC were detected in eight of 250 (3.2%) diarrhoeal stools but were not found in 110 non-diarrhoeal stools. All eight patients found to have LT ETEC were travellers returning with diarrhoea. LT ETEC was the most common bacterial pathogen found (15.4%) in this group of patients, exceeding Campylobacter sp. (5.8%) and Salmonella sp. (7.7%). The ELISA technique was simple to perform and visual readings were found to be reliable.
D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004768:Enterotoxins