[A familial outbreak of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O103:H2 infection in which a calf was the suspected infectious source].
A familial outbreak of Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) infection occurred in July 1996 in AKITA prefecture. Four VTEC strains harboring VT-1 and eaeA genes were isolated from three patients and a calf, breeding farm for which was located as close as 4 meters from the house where the patients lived in. All of the 4 VTEC isolates were serotyped as O63:H2 using commercially available sera kits. However, a patient isolate, EC-281, was serotyped as 0103:H2 at the International Escherichia and Klebsiella Centre. Titration and absorption tests using rabbit antisera raised against EC-281 confirmed that the serogroup of the remaining 3-VTEC isolates was also O103. Epidemiological characteristics including plasmid profile, antibiotic susceptibility patterns and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of the 4 VTEC isolates were completely the same, indicating that these isolates originated from a common source. These findings in conjunction with the results of epidemiological survey conducted by the Health Center suggested that a possible infectious source for this outbreak is the calf. Our present results strengthen the significance of calf as an infectious source of VTEC infection.
Saito
S
S
Akita Prefectural Institute of Public Health.
Yatsuyanagi
J
J
Kinouchi
Y
Y
Sato
H
H
Miyajima
Y
Y
Morita
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002417:Cattle / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012703:Serotyping; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D015047:Zoonoses
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1