title: Molecular characterisation of enteroinvasive Escherichia coli O136:K78 isolates from patients of a diarrhoea outbreak in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A diarrhoea outbreak occurred in a kindergarten, which caused 21 relevant infected cases. Our object was to confirm the pathogens and their molecular characterisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Faecal samples from 21 patients were collected on the 3rd day after their symptom onset, and a regular epidemiological investigation was conducted. Bacterial isolation was performed in accordance with standard laboratory protocol, serological and molecular characterisations were determined by serum agglutination test and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, respectively. The pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and 16S rRNAs were conducted to determine the homology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) O136:K78 strains were isolated. The serum agglutination test showed that all strains' serotypes were E. coli (EIEC) O136:K78. Real-time PCR showed that 10 (91%) strains carried the invasion plasmid antigen H gene (ipaH), carried by all four Shigella species and EIEC. The strain that didn't carry the ipaH gene had different biochemical reactions of L-lizyna and L-rhamnose with the other strains. The complete 16S rRNA sequences showed 98.4% identity between ipaH-negative isolate and the others, and the PFGE indicated that the ipaH-negative isolate was not homological with other isolates in this diarrhoea outbreak.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diarrhoea outbreak was caused by E. coli (EIEC) O136:K78.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ni
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests; D001483:Base Sequence; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D065288:Serogroup
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S