title: Diffuse and enteroaggregative patterns of adherence of enteric Escherichia coli isolated from aboriginal children from the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
abstract: Escherichia coli from 138 fecal samples from aboriginal children, in whom no other enteric pathogen was isolated (including enterovirulent E. coli), were examined for HEp-2 cell adhesion. Twenty-five (36.8%) of 68 children with diarrhea and 32 (45.7%) of 70 without diarrhea had diffusely adherent isolates, which were thus not associated with diarrhea (P > .25). However, after age stratification, children > or = 18 months showed a significant association of diffusely adherent E. coli with diarrhea (P < or = .05). Enteroaggregative E. coli were isolated from 12 children with diarrhea (17.6%) and 15 without diarrhea (21.4%); thus, there was no association with diarrhea (P > or = .5). Sixteen children with diarrhea (23.5%) and 6 without diarrhea (8.6%) carried isolates that caused detachment of the HEp-2 cell monolayer from the glass coverslip when examined in the adhesion assay and were significantly associated with diarrhea (P < or = .05). These isolates, termed cell-detaching E. coli, were different from all recognized classes of enterovirulent E. coli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Gunzburg
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gracey
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D012621:Seasons; D014904:Western Australia