title: EPEC, EAEC and STEC in stool specimens: prevalence and molecular epidemiology of isolates.
abstract: Stool specimens of Finns (n = 695) with (n = 603) and without (n = 92) diarrhea were studied for enteropathogenic (EPEC), enteroaggregative (EAEC) and Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) Escherichia coli by PCR. The specific isolates were subsequently investigated for their O:H serotypes and were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A subset (n = 506) of the diarrheal and all non-diarrheal specimens were also searched for conventional enteric bacterial pathogens by standard methods. Diarrheagenic E. coli were found in 5.5% and other enteric pathogens in 6.7% of the patients with and in 2.2% and 1.1% of the subjects without diarrhea, respectively. Campylobacter (3.8%), EPEC (3.2%) and Salmonella (2.0%) were the most common findings, and were detected in diarrheal patients only. STEC were associated with bloody diarrhea (8/9 isolates), whereas EAEC were equally common (1%) in diarrheal and non-diarrheal subjects. Great genomial heterogeneity was seen among diarrheagenic E. coli, and only one EPEC isolate belonged to the "classic" EPEC serogroup (O55).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keskimäki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eklund
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pesonen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heiskanen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siitonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012703:Serotyping; D014774:Virulence