title: The expression of an R3 lipopolysaccharide-core by pathotypes of Escherichia coli.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the incidence of an R3 lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-core amplicon in a range of pathotypes of Escherichia coli, including Verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 100 strains of E. coli belonging to a range of pathotypes, including 41 strains of VTEC, were screened for the genes encoding the R3 LPS-core using PCR. Fifty-four per cent produced an amplicon with the R3 primer set. Of the 41 VTEC, 66% had an R3 LPS-core with a PCR product being observed with all strains belonging to serotypes O26:H11, O111ac:H- and O145:H25. However, 46% of enteroaggregative E. coli and 50% of enteropathogenic E. coli were also shown to have an R3 LPS-core structure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strains with an R3 LPS-core are widely distributed within the species E. coli.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strains of E. coli with an R3 LPS-core structure appear not to be associated with a specific pathotype.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, Division of Gastrointestinal Infections, Central Public Health Laboratory, London, UK. henrik.chart@hpa.org.uk
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chart
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012703:Serotyping; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D022603:Shiga Toxins