title: Characterisation of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from human patients in Hungary over a 7-year period.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to characterise verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains isolated in Hungary from 2000 to 2006. Altogether, 33 human VTEC strains were investigated to define the O:H antigens, verotoxin 1, 2 (vtx1 and 2), intimin (eae), enteroaggregative heat-stable toxin (ast1), autoagglutinating adhesin (saa) and enterohaemolysin (ehlyA) genes and sensitivity to 11 antimicrobial agents. The strains belonged to 14 different O:H serotypes, among which O157:NM (non-motile) was the most prevalent (45%, 15/33). Patients infected with O157 more often presented bloody diarrhoea or haemorrhagic colitis (63%, 12/19) than those infected with non-O157 (46%, 6/14). Haemolytic uraemic syndrome evolved in two patients infected with O26:H11. The vtx1vtx2c toxin gene combination was found in 58% (11/19) and vtx2c alone in 31% (6/19) of the O157 strains. All of the O157 strains possessed gamma1, while two O26 strains had the beta1 intimin gene. Twenty strains (75%, 25/33) carried the ehlyA gene and five non-O157 strains had ast1. The majority of the strains (76%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, but none of them showed the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) phenotype.
authors: Department of Bacteriology, National Centre for Epidemiology, Gyáli út 2-6, 1097 Budapest, Hungary. mag.tunde@oek.antsz.hu
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Mag
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Nógrády
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Herpay
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Tóth
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Rozgonyi
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012703:Serotyping; D054323:Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors; D001618:beta-Lactamases