title: Properties of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates from sheep in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
abstract: Fecal samples from 48 sheep from two farms in São Paulo, SP, Brazil, were examined to determine the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Forty-two STEC strains were isolated from 25 (52.1%) of 48 sheep feces, and were examined for the presence of genes encoding STEC-related virulence factors. Twenty-one (50.0%) of the 42 STEC isolates were positive for stx(1) and stx(2), 16 isolates (38.1%) were stx(1), and five (11.9%) were stx(2). Expression of Shiga toxins was demonstrated by the Vero cell toxicity test for all the strains carrying stx. Fourteen of the STEC strains (33.3%) carried the enterohemolysin gene (ehly) and presented the enterohemolytic phenotype, and five (11.9%) were positive for the plasmid encoded katP gene. The eae gene was not present in any of the isolates. STEC strains presenting stx(1), stx(2) and ehly were most commonly (23.8%) recovered from these sheep. The predominant STEC serotype found was ONT:H8, and others included O5:H-, O16:H-, O75:H-, O75:H8, O87:H16, O91:H-, O146:H21, O172:H-, OR:H-, ONT:H- and ONT:H16. This is the first report on ovine STEC in South America, and identifies a number of ovine non-O157 STEC that belong to serotypes implicated in human disease.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas-II, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Vettorato
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leomil
authors.forename: B E C
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Guth
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Irino
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Pestana de Castro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001938:Brazil; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D019081:O Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012703:Serotyping; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C097321:EHEC-hlyA protein, E coli; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D019081:O Antigens; D022603:Shiga Toxins