Molecular epidemiology of Shigella in a Taiwan township during 1996 to 2000.
A previously identified Shigella flexneri serotype 2a strain was responsible for an outbreak of shigellosis in a Taiwan township in August 1996. In order to find the relationship between this outbreak strain and subsequent Shigella infections in the area, 59, 47, 35, and 20 Shigella isolates recovered in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, respectively, were collected and typed by serological and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) techniques. Of these 161 isolates, 139 isolates were S. flexneri serotype 2a, and one-third of them (47 isolates) exhibited the outbreak pattern. The remaining 92 S. flexneri serotype 2a isolates displayed 49 different NotI-PFGE patterns. Forty-five patterns were closely related to the outbreak pattern, with deletions of three specific NotI fragments occurring with high frequency. While the outbreak strain remained the main cause of shigellosis after the outbreak, the continuous emergence of closely related though poorly transmissible strains from the outbreak strain contributed to the observed annual decrease of shigellosis in the area.
Chen
Jiann-Hwa
JH
Institute of Molecular Biology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan 402, Republic of China. jhchen@dragon.nchu.edu.tw
Chiou
Chien-Shun
CS
Chen
Pei-Chun
PC
Liao
Tung-Liang
TL
Liao
Tsai-Ling
TL
Li
Jen-Ming
JM
Hsu
Wen-Bin
WB
D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D012703:Serotyping; D012760:Shigella / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C038565:GCGGCCGC-specific type II deoxyribonucleases