Prevalence and potential link between E. coli O157:H7 isolated from drinking water, meat and vegetables and stools of diarrhoeic confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients in the Amathole District - South Africa.
OBJECTIVE
The current study investigated the prevalence and molecular relatedness between Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from water, meat and meat products and vegetables and from stools of confirmed and non-confirmed Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients with diarrhoea.


RESULTS
Culture-based and polymerase chain reaction techniques were used to identify E. coli O157:H7. Thirty-five per cent of meat products, 25.5% of water, 21.7% of vegetables as well as 56.5% and 43.5% of stools of confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients, respectively, were presumptively positive with E. coli O157. Molecular results indicated that 10.3%, 8.6% and 7.8% of the vegetables, water and meat products examined carried E. coli O157:H7, which had homologous fliC(H7), rfbE(O157) and eaeA genetic loci to the genes of some E. coli O157:H7 isolated from 12.2% and 8.8% of the stools of confirmed and non-confirmed HIV/AIDS patients, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Water, meat and meat products and vegetables are potential sources of E. coli O157:H7 that are potentially capable of causing diarrhoea in humans especially HIV/AIDS patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Great care should be exercised to ensure that water and foods consumed by HIV/AIDS patients are safe, as contaminated water and foods can cause secondary infections in these patients.
Abong'o
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BO
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.
Momba
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MN
D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D013019:South Africa; D014675:Vegetables; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply