Isolation and characterization of a beta-D-glucuronidase-producing strain of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 in the United States.
A phenotypic variant of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 (G5101) was isolated from a patient with bloody diarrhea. Strain G5101 does not ferment sorbitol but is beta-D-glucuronidase and urease positive. Serotyping and colony hybridization using a serotype-specific DNA probe confirmed that the isolate was O157:H7. G5101 produces Shiga-like toxins I and II and contains an eae gene that is highly conserved in the O157:H7 serotype. This strain would have been missed by laboratories that screen for the sorbitol-negative, beta-D-glucuronidase-negative phenotype in isolating E. coli O157:H7 from clinical and food specimens.
Hayes
P S
PS
Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. PSH1@CIDDBD2.EM.CDC.GOV
Blom
K
K
Feng
P
P
Lewis
J
J
Strockbine
N A
NA
Swaminathan
B
B
D015342:DNA Probes; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D012703:Serotyping; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000378:metabolism; D014481:United States
D015342:DNA Probes; D013012:Sorbitol; D005966:Glucuronidase