title: Prevalence and properties of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli among healthy individuals in Osaka City, Japan.
abstract: The etiological roles of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC), including enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC), diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC) and EAST1EC--a strain of E. coli that possesses no diarrheagenic characteristics other than the EAggEC heat-stable toxin 1 (EAST1) gene--remain controversial. To clarify the prevalence of DEC among healthy individuals in Osaka City, Japan, and to compare the virulence properties of strains previously isolated from diarrheal patients, fecal specimens were examined for DEC. Isolation rates of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, enterotoxigenic E. coli, and EAggEC were significantly lower among healthy adults than sporadic adult patients. There were no differences in enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), DAEC and EAST1EC between patients and healthy carriers. Subtyping of the intimin gene (eae) of EPEC, and measuring the IL-8 inductivity of DAEC on epithelial cells could provide criteria to distinguish strains in diarrheal patients from those in healthy carriers. Proper criteria should be established in order to diagnose subtypes of DEC as causative agents.
authors.affiliation: Urban Living and Health Association, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arikawa
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aota
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hase
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli