title: Enteroaggregative escherichia coli virulence factors in traveler's diarrhea strains.
abstract: Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is associated with diarrhea in Spanish travelers to developing countries. In this study, the polymerase chain reaction was used to test EAEC isolates for genes encoding putative virulence factors, including EAEC adhesins, the plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet), a heat-stable enterotoxin (EAST), and Shigella enterotoxins 1 and 2 (ShET1 and ShET2). Findings included a low prevalence of genes for Pet (4.3%), ShET2 (4.3%), and the adherence factor AAF/II (8.7%). The overlapping genes encoding the ShET1 and the Pic mucinase were present in most EAEC strains tested (56.5%); however, some strains that carried this locus did not produce both proteins, as determined by Western immunoblot. Surprisingly, ShET1 and ShET2 genes were also found in other E. coli pathotypes, as was the EAST toxin locus. These findings underscore the heterogeneity of EAEC strains and suggest that the ShET1 may be an important virulence factor in traveler's diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: Laboratori de Microbiologia, Hospital Clinic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. vila@medicina.ub.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vila
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gascón
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nataro
mesh_terms: D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1 / Q000235:genetics; D022641:Shiga Toxin 2 / Q000235:genetics; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014195:Travel; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D022641:Shiga Toxin 2; C034151:heat stable toxin (E coli)