title: Isolation and characterisation of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli strains from northern Palestine.
abstract: Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in northern Palestine in 1999 were screened for serotype O157 and characterised for virulence genes by multiplex PCR assay. Of the 176 STEC isolates, 124 (70.5%) were of serotype O157. All these isolates carried the gene for Shiga toxin type 1 (stx,) and 112 (90.3%) carried stx2. The intimin encoding gene locus eae was detected in 16 isolates (12.9%) and the enterohaemolysin encoding gene, hlyA, in 18 (14.5%). Statistical analysis showed a significant association between the presence of eaeA and hlyA, either alone or combined with stx1 and stx2 genes in O157 isolates from symptomatic infection. ERIC-PCR analysis of DNA from 80 serotype O157 isolates revealed three major clonal populations.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Adwan
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abu-Hasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, An-Najah N. University and *Department of Biological Sciences, Bir Zeit University, Palestine.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Essawi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bdir
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018912:Arabs; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D022603:Shiga Toxins