The widespread occurrence of the enterohemolysin gene ehlyA among environmental strains of Escherichia coli.
The putative virulence factor enterohemolysin, encoded by the ehlyA gene, has been closely associated with the pathogenic enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) group. Escherichia coli isolates from effluents from seven geographically dispersed municipal wastewater treatment plants were screened for the presence of enterohemolysin. A total of 338 E. coli isolates were found to express the ehlyA gene. However, none of the isolates contained the toxin-encoding genes (stxA or stxB) associated with EHEC. Two of the 338 isolates possessed the virulence factor intimin, encoded by the eae gene. These findings suggest that the ehlyA gene may be widely distributed among non-EHEC isolates in the environment.
Boczek
Laura A
LA
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, USA. boczek.laura@epa.gov
Johnson
Clifford H
CH
Rice
Eugene W
EW
Kinkle
Brian K
BK
D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012703:Serotyping; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C097321:EHEC-hlyA protein, E coli; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D012722:Sewage; C066219:enterohemolysin