title: Characterization of the most prevalent colonization factor antigens present in Chilean clinical enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains using a new multiplex polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: Current methods to detect the colonization factor antigens (CFAs) associated with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are cumbersome, with some methods requiring antibodies that are not readily available. To achieve a gene-based method, we designed 2 multiplex polymerase chain reaction reactions to detect genes encoding the most common ETEC fimbrial colonization factors, including CFA/I and coli surface (CS) antigens CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, and CS6. Analysis of 183 clinical ETEC strains shows that the most prevalent colonization factors were CFA/I only, CS1 and CS3, CS2 and CS3, and CS6 only. Interestingly, we identified 3 clinical isolates expressing CS1 only without its regulator rns. The method described here proved to be rapid and robust and correlates well with phenotypic expression of the CFAs, becoming a novel molecular diagnostic and research tool for future epidemiologic studies.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, 8389100, Chile. rvidal@med.uchile.cl
authors.forename: Roberto M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: Patricio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lagos
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esparza
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Livio
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farfán
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nataro
authors.forename: Myron M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prado
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D054307:Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C022924:colonization factor antigens; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins