title: Prevalence of virulence factors in Escherichia coli isolated from healthy animals and water sources in Brazil.
abstract: The aim of this work was to verify the presence of seven virulence factors (ST, LT, eae, stx(1), stx(2), INV and EAEC) among Escherichia coli strains isolated from healthy humans, bovines, chickens, sheep, pigs and goats, from two sewage treatment plants and from the Tietê River. We have found a high prevalence of eae, stx(1) and stx(2) in ruminants. The EAEC gene was only found in humans and sewage. No strains presented ST, LT or INV. BOX-PCR fingerprints revealed a high diversity among the strains analysed and a non-clonal origin of strains that presented the same virulence factors. Therefore, we concluded that ruminants may constitute an important reservoir of most diarrheagenic E. coli in Brazil, except for EAEC strains. These results emphasize the importance of the identification of the animal source of fecal contamination for the correct water risk assessment.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, C.P. 6010, 13083-875 Campinas, S.P., Brasil.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carlos
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alexandrino
authors.forename: Monica A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Nancy C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Stoppe
authors.forename: Maria Inês Z
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Tânia A T
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Laura M M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ottoboni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology*; D001938:Brazil; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D022603:Shiga Toxins; D037521:Virulence Factors