Colonisation factors amongst clinical isolates of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
The production of heat-labile (LT) and heat-stable (ST) enterotoxins, colonisation factor antigens (CFAs) and haemagglutinins was investigated amongst 310 Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates obtained from 62 children under the age of five, with diarrhoea. Twenty-one isolates were found to produce enterotoxins, of which fifteen (71%) isolates produced ST only, 2 (10%) produced LT only and 4 (19%) produced both LT and ST. However, none of the isolates demonstrated any of the common CFAs identified to date, but 8 out of the 21 isolates demonstrated haemagglutination with rabbit, sheep or human group A erythrocytes, suggesting the presence of putative CFAs, yet unidentified.
Iyer
L
L
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Vadivelu
J
J
Parasakthi
N
N
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000276:immunology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008296:Malaysia
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C022924:colonization factor antigens; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins