title: Typing of intimin (eae) genes from enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) isolated from children with diarrhoea in Montevideo, Uruguay: identification of two novel intimin variants (muB and xiR/beta2B).
abstract: A total of 71 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains isolated from children with diarrhoea in Montevideo, Uruguay, were characterized in this study. PCR showed that 57 isolates carried eae and bfp genes (typical EPEC strains), and 14 possessed only the eae gene (atypical EPEC strains). These EPEC strains belonged to 21 O : H serotypes, including eight novel serotypes not previously reported among human EPEC in other studies. However, 72% belonged to only four serotypes: O55:H- (six strains), O111:H2 (13 strains), O111:H- (14 strains) and O119:H6 (18 strains). Nine intimin types, namely, alpha1 (two O142 strains), beta1 (29 strains, including 13 O111:H2 and 14 O111:H-), gamma1 (three O55:H- strains), theta (five strains, including three strains with H40 antigen), kappa (two strains), epsilon1 (one strain), lambda (one strain), muB (six strains of serotypes O55:H51 and O55:H-) and xiR/beta2B (22 strains, including 18 O119:H6) were detected among the 71 EPEC strains. The authors have identified two novel intimin genes (muB and xiR/beta2B) in typical EPEC strains of serotypes O55:H51/H- and O119:H6/H-. The complete nucleotide sequences of the novel muB and xiR/beta2 variant genes were determined. PFGE typing after XbaI DNA digestion was performed on 44 representative EPEC strains. Genomic DNA fingerprinting revealed 44 distinct restriction patterns and the strains were clustered in 12 groups. Only 15 strains clustered in six groups of closely related (similarity>85%) PFGE patterns, suggesting the prevailing clonal diversity among EPEC strains isolated from children with diarrhoea in Montevideo.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Ghizlane
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dahbi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Azucena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Microbioloxía Clínica, Complexo Hospitalario Xeral-Calde, 27004 Lugo, Spain.|Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: María Pilar
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bacteriología y Virología, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, CP 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bacteriología y Virología, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, CP 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: María Pilar
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Gadea
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bacteriología y Virología, Instituto de Higiene, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, CP 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: Felipé
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schelotto
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Referencia de E. coli (LREC), Departamento de Microbioloxía e Parasitoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blanco
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019081:O Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012703:Serotyping; D014583:Uruguay
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C022863:H antigen; D019081:O Antigens; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli; C025580:endodeoxyribonuclease XBAI; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific