[Epidemiological characteristics and virulence factor of verotoxin-producing Eschericia coli O121:H19 isolated in Akita Prefecture in July 1997].
Epidemiological characteristics and virulence factors of VTEC O121:H19 strains isolated in July 1997 from a 15 year old female and a 20 year old male patient suffering from bloody diarrhea and severe abdominal pain were examined. The 2 VTEC O121:H19 isolates showed identical antibiotic susceptibility patterns, biochemical characteristics and plasmid profile while slight differences were observed in their Xba I and Not I PFGE patterns, suggesting that closely related 2 VTEC O121:H19 strains evoked the sporadic infectious cases in July 1997. The 2 VTEC O121:H19 isolates, as well as VTEC O157:H7, possessed eaeA gene and a ca. 60 MDa plasmid which hybridised with CVD 419 probe and produced enterohemolysin. In addition, the VTEC O121:H19 isolates produced almost the same amount of VT-2 in vitro as VTEC O157:H7 did. These results suggested that VTEC O121:H19 possesed the virulence factor comparable to that of VTEC O157:H7. Incidence, molecular epidemiology and infectious source of VTEC O121:H19 in this country have not been sufficiently understood. Antiserum for E. coli serogroup O121 should be manufactured to clarify the epidemiology of the highly virulent VTEC strain.
Yatsuyanagi
J
J
Akita Prefectural Institute of Public Health.
Kinouchi
Y
Y
Saito
S
S
Suzuki
Y
Y
Sato
H
H
Miyajima
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004751:Enteritis / Q000382:microbiology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D014774:Virulence
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1