title: Detection of the enteroaggregative Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1) gene and its relationship with fimbrial and enterotoxin markers in E. coli isolates from pigs with diarrhoea.
abstract: The presence of the astA gene responsible for production of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1) was examined in E. coli strains isolated from pigs with postweaning diarrhoea. Two hundred and seven isolates were tested using PCR for the astA marker and for heat-labile I (LTI), heat-stable I (STI), and heat-stable II (STII) enterotoxin genes. Moreover, the isolates were also analysed for their serotypes (O and K antigens) as well as for fimbrial adhesins using agglutination methods. It was shown that 96 (46.4%) of the isolates possessed the astA genetic determinant. The most common EAST1-positive E. coli serotype was O149:K91 and these strains were mostly LTI/STII-positive. A close correlation between the presence of F4 fimbriae and the EAST1 gene was also observed: 88 of 96 (91.7%) astA(+) isolates tested possessed the F4 antigen. Thus, EAST1 enterotoxin may represent an additional virulence determinant playing a role in the pathogenesis of porcine colibacillosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland. josek@piwet.pulawy.pl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Osek
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019081:O Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D019081:O Antigens; C034151:heat stable toxin (E coli)