Identification & characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from patients with diarrhoea in Iran.
OBJECTIVE
Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli are important serotypes of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) subgroup that cause attaching and effacing lesions in enterocytes by producing verotoxins or shiga-like toxins resulting in haemorrhagic colitis (HC) and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The aim of this study was to detect these serotypes specially E. coli O157:H7 in stool samples of patients with diarrhoea and identification of virulence genes (STX1, STX2, Hly and EAE) in Shahrekord-Iran area using PCR technique.


METHODS
Two hundred diarrhoeal stool samples of patients were collected through 2007-2008. Microbiological and biochemical examinations were done to detect the E. coli. Serological tests carried out to identify the O157 or O157:H7 serotypes.


RESULTS
Of the 58 E. coli isolates, 16 (27.6%) were detected as STX1 carrying E. coli, four (6.9%) carrying STX2, eight (13.8%) carrying both STX1 and STX2, and 12 (20.7%) were Hly carrying E. coli, but none of the isolates contained EAE gene. None of the isolates were E. coli O157 or O157:H7 serotypes.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results revealed that verotoxigenic E. coli isolates other than O157 serotype were involved in causing diarrhoea in Shahrekord-Iran.
Bonyadian
M
M
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Zoonoses Research, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord-Iran.
Momtaz
H
H
Rahimi
E
E
Habibian
R
R
Yazdani
A
A
Zamani
M
M
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1 / Q000235:genetics; D022641:Shiga Toxin 2 / Q000235:genetics; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C036507:Hlya protein, E coli; D022622:Shiga Toxin 1; D022641:Shiga Toxin 2; D022603:Shiga Toxins; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli