Prevalence and characteristics of Escherichia coli O26 and O111 from cattle in Korea.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an important cause of diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome worldwide. E. coli O26 and O111 are the serotypes most frequently isolated from human EHEC infections in Korea. Cattle are considered to be the major sources of E. coli O26 and O111. This study investigated the prevalence of E. coli O26 and O111 in fecal samples from cattle in Korea from April 2002 to March 2004. Out of 809 samples, 54 (6.67%), 37 (4.57%), and 16 (1.98%) tested positive for O26, O111, and both O26 and O111, respectively. Most of the E. coli O26 and O111 strains were isolated from May to October of each year. PCR analysis of the EHEC virulence markers revealed that most of the E. coli O26 and O111 isolates were positive for ehxA, eaeA and stx1 and/or stx2. These results suggest that the majority of Korean E. coli O26 and O111 isolates from cattle can cause serious diseases in humans.
Jeon
Byung-Woo
BW
College of Veterinary Medicine and Bio-Safety Research Institute, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, Republic of Korea.
Jeong
Jae-Myong
JM
Won
Ga-Yeon
GY
Park
Hyun
H
Eo
Seong-Kug
SK
Kang
Ho-Young
HY
Hur
Jin
J
Lee
John Hwa
JH