Absence of Escherichia coli O157 in a survey of wildlife from Trinidad and Tobago

Fecal, cloacal, or rectal swabs of free-ranging and captive mammalian and avian wildlife in Trinidad and Tobago were cultured for non-sorbitol fermenting Escherichia coli and tested for O157:H7 strains. Ability of E. coli strains to produce hemolysin and mucoid colonies also was investigated. Of 271 free-ranging mammals tested, 158 (58%) yielded E. coli; only one (< 1%) bacterial isolate was a non-sorbitol fermenter which was not agglutinated by O157 antiserum. All isolates were negative for hemolysin production and mucoid colonial growth. Two hundred and sixty-three (90%) of 293 free-flying birds were positive for E. coli and all isolates were sorbitol fermenters and negative for production of hemolysin and mucoid growth. Of 175 captive wild animals from individual backyard farms and a government demonstration farm, 145 (83%) yielded E. coli with four (2%) non-sorbitol fermenters; all were negative for O157 strains, hemolysin production, and mucoid colonial growth. Of 373 animals in a zoo, 250 (67%) were positive for E. coli with only two (0.5%) non-sorbitol fermenters. All strains were non-hemolytic and non-mucoid farms. It appears that free-ranging and captive avian and mammalian wildlife are not important reservoirs of O157:H7 strains of E. coli in Trinidad and Tobago.     

An improved enrichment broth for isolation of Escherichia coli O157, with specific reference to starved cells,from radish sprouts

An enrichment broth was developed for the efficient isolation of Escherichia coli O157 from radish sprouts. The broth was buffered peptone water containing 0.5% sodium thioglycolate (STG-BPW), which was designed to allow growth of E. coli O157 in starved and unstarved states. However, this medium suppressed the growth of non-carbohydrate-fermenting obligate aerobes whose colonial appearance on sorbitol MacConkey agar containing cefixime and tellurite (CT-SMAC) resembled that of E. coli O157. Both starved and unstarved cells of E. coli O157 experimentally inoculated into radish sprouts were successfully recovered with STG-BPW enrichment in all cases, most of which showed marked disappearance of E. coli O157-like colonies on CT-SMAC.     

重组人内皮抑素工程菌菌种稳定性考察

研究重组人内皮抑素突变体质粒HM-E的宿主菌E．coliBL21（DE3）在LB培养基中传代50代过程中菌种的稳定性。研究表明,重组人内皮抑素工程菌在传代50代的过程中质粒稳定性（ST）高,为98％,菌体与菌落呈典型的大肠杆菌形态,反复冻融后表达量未下降,目标蛋白在菌体超声的沉淀中质量分数为（58．75±3．78）％,同时,四甲基偶氮唑盐微量反应比色法（MTT）结果表明目的蛋白质量浓度为20μg／mL时对内皮细胞ECV-304具有很高的抑制率,达（94．72±2．10）％。     

枯芽孢杆菌α—淀粉酶基在在大肠杆菌中的表达及其产物的分泌

The E. coli which carrying the alpha-amylase gene fragment cloned from B. subtilis secreted the gene products into the medium. The reason is the exogenous gene fragment act on the cell wall of E. coli by some way, gives rise to the change of its structure. It leads up to the alpha-amylase and some periplasm proteins passing through the cell wall into the medium. It also causes the change of host colonial morphology. The secrete process are non-specific.     

Comparison of commercially available kits with standard methods for the detection of coliforms and Escherichia coli in foods.

Three commercially available kits that were supplemented with substrates for enzyme reactions were evaluated to determine their abilities to detect coliforms and fecal coliforms in foods. Japanese and U.S. Food and Drug Administration standard methods, as well as two agar plate methods, were compared with the three commercial kits. A total of 50 food samples from various retailers were examined. The levels of detection of coliforms were high with the commercial kits (78 to 98%) compared with the levels of detection with the standard methods (80 to 83%) and the agar plate methods (56 to 83%). Among the kits tested, the Colilert kit had highest level of recovery of coliforms (98%), and the level of recovery of Escherichia coli as determined by beta-glucuronidase activity with the Colilert kit (83%) was comparable to the level of recovery obtained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration method (87%). Isolation of E. coli on the basis of the beta-glucuronidase enzyme reaction was found to be good. Levine's eosine methylene blue agar, which has been widely used in various laboratories to isolate E. coli was compared with 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide (MUG)-supplemented agar for isolation of E. coli. Only 47% of the E. coli was detected when eosine methylene blue agar was used; however, when violet red bile (VRB)-MUG agar was used, the E. coli detection rate was twice as high. Of the 200 E. coli strains isolated, only 2 were found to be MUG negative, and the gene responsible for beta-glucuronidase activity (uidA gene) was detected by the PCR method in these 2 strains. Of the 90 false-positive strains isolated that exhibited various E. coli characteristic features, only 2 non-E.coli strains hydrolyzed MUG and produced fluorescent substrate in VRB-MUG agar. However, the PCR did not amplify uidA gene products in these VRB-MUG fluorescence-positive strains.     

Glutamate decarboxylase genes as a prescreening marker for detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli groups.

The enzyme glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is prevalent in Escherichia coli but few strains in the various pathogenic E. coli groups have been tested for GAD. Using PCR primers that amplify a 670-bp segment from the gadA and gadB genes encoding GAD, we examined the distribution of the gadAB genes among enteric bacteria. Analysis of 173 pathogenic E. coli strains, including 125 enterohemorrhagic E. coli isolates of the O157:H7 serotype and its phenotypic variants and 48 isolates of enteropathogenic E. coli, enterotoxigenic E. coli, enteroinvasive E. coli, and other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotypes, showed that gadAB genes were present in all these strains. Among the 22 non-E. coli isolates tested, only the 6 Shigella spp. carried gadAB. Analysis of naturally contaminated water and food samples using a gadAB-specific DNA probe that was labeled with digoxigenin showed that a gadAB-based assay is as reliable as standard methods that enumerate E. coli organisms on the basis of lactose fermentation. The presence of few E. coli cells initially seeded into produce rinsates could be detected by PCR to gadA/B genes after overnight enrichment. A multiplex PCR assay using the gadAB primers in combination with primers to Shiga toxin (Stx) genes stx(1) and stx(2) was effective in detecting STEC from the enrichment medium after seeding produce rinsate samples with as few as 2 CFU. The gadAB primers may be multiplexed with primers to other trait virulence markers to specifically identify other pathogenic E. coli groups.     

Strain specificity of outer membrane proteins in Escherichia coli.

Outer membrane proteins of various strains of Escherichia coli were compared using three different systems of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The outer membranes of E. coli K-12, E. coli B, and E. coli J-5 had distinctive protein compositions. As regards proteins which interact with peptidoglycan, E. coli K-12 contained O-8 and O-9, while E. coli B possessed one protein which migrated to the position of O-9. Although E. coli J-5 possessed two such proteins, O-8' and O-9', their positions on polyacrylamide gel were different from those of O-8 and O-9. Protein O-7, which migrates slightly more slowly than O-8, was found specifically in E. coli K-12. Proteins O-10 and O-11 were found in all strains tested, although the relative amounts were different depending on the strain. Strains of E. coli K-12 and E. coli J-5 gave three major bands, O-2a, O-2b, and O-3, in the region of high molecular weight. These proteins were repressed by iron in the cultivation media. Strains of E. coli B, on the other hand, gave only O-2b and O-3. E. coli J-5 gave two other major bands in this region, but the amounts were not controlled by iron in the cultivation media.     

Relationship between phylogenetic groups, genotypic clusters, and virulence gene profiles of Escherichia coli strains from diverse human and animal sources

Escherichia coli strains in water may originate from various sources, including humans, farm and wild animals, waterfowl, and pets. However, potential human health hazards associated with E. coli strains present in various animal hosts are not well known. In this study, E. coli strains from diverse human and animal sources in Minnesota and western Wisconsin were analyzed for the presence of genes coding for virulence factors by using multiplex PCR and biochemical reactions. Of the 1,531 isolates examined, 31 (2%) were found to be Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strains. The majority of these strains, which were initially isolated from the ruminants sheep, goats, and deer, carried the stx(1c) and/or stx(2d), ehxA, and saa genes and belonged to E. coli phylogenetic group B1, indicating that they most likely do not cause severe human diseases. All the STEC strains, however, lacked eae. In contrast, 26 (1.7%) of the E. coli isolates examined were found to be potential enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains and consisted of several intimin subtypes that were distributed among various human and animal hosts. The EPEC strains belonged to all four phylogenetic groups examined, suggesting that EPEC strains were relatively widespread in terms of host animals and genetic background. Atypical EPEC strains, which carried an EPEC adherence factor plasmid, were identified among E. coli strains from humans and deer. DNA fingerprint analyses, done using the horizontal, fluorophore-enhanced repetitive-element, palindromic PCR technique, indicated that the STEC, potential EPEC, and non-STEC ehxA-positive E. coli strains were genotypically distinct and clustered independently. However, some of the potential EPEC isolates were genotypically indistinguishable from nonpathogenic E. coli strains. Our results revealed that potential human health hazards associated with pathogenic E. coli strains varied among the animal hosts that we examined and that some animal species may harbor a greater number of potential pathogenic strains than other animal species.     

Isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli phase variants and mutants deficient in type 1 pilus production.

Type 1 pili of Escherichia coli are the prototype of the somatic class of pili found on many strains of bacteria. As a first step in the genetic analysis of type 1 piliation, an extensive series of nonpiliated derivatives of E. coli K-12 strain AW405, was characterized to produce attached or free pili when examined in the antiserum or appeared to produce attached or free pili when examined in the electron microscope. The derivatives fell into two classes; phase variants and mutants. Phase variants that formed colonies of two distinctive types, one associated with a predominantly piliated (P+), and the other associated with a nonpiliated (P-) phase, were obtained. Each phase could give rise to the other at a relatively high rate, which was greater in the P- to P+ direction during culture in unshaken liquid medium. In addition, 77 Pil- mutants were selected on the basis of a subtle difference in colonial morphology. The mutants reverted, if at all, at a much lower rate than that of the P- to P+ change. The stability of Pil- derivatives grown in unshaken liquid medium was used as a criterion for distinguishing between phase variants and mutants, Phase variation also effected colonial morphology and chemotactic swarming. These properties did not directly depend upon piliation since Pil- mutants were only slightly altered in colonial form and unaltered in chemotactic swarming. Piliation of Pil+ bacteria was quantitatively affected by growth conditions.     

Effect of lactobacilli onE. coli adhesion to caco-2 cellsin Vitro

Inhibitory effect of various lactobacilli against pathogenic strains of E. coli in model system Caco2 cells was determined by enumerating the number of adhering E. coli after pre-incubation (exclusion), post-incubation (displacement) or co-incubation (competition) with lactobacilli. Porcine E. coli strain F107 (F18ab, Stx2v) in the competition assay with porcine lactobacillus strain P10 gave bacterial counts 7.25 (log CFU per well); in the exclusion test it was only 7.05 while in displacement test it reached 7.29. The lowest E. coli counts adhering to Caco-2 cells were in exclusion assay (pre-incubation, Lactobacillus inoculated as the first). Pre-treatment of E. coli with our lactobacilli strains reduced the cultivable E. coli numbers.     

羧酸酯酶A2在大肠杆菌中的表达及特征分析

本研究采用RT-PCR法从抗性蚊虫（Culex quinquefasciatus)中克隆了羧酸酯酶A2的全长cDNA,对其进行了序列测定。并构建了融合表达质粒pET-ESTA2,转化大肠杆菌BL21后,在异丙基硫代半乳糖苷（IPTG）的诱导下,使羧酸酯酶A2在大肠杆菌内得到表达,表达产物经亲和层析纯化获得了1条带的重组蛋白,与报道的从蚊虫体内纯化的羧酸酯酶相比,从表达产物中纯化的羧酸酯酶Km与其一致,但从表达产物纯化的羧酸酯酶的Vm比蚊虫中纯化的羧酸酯酶的Vm高,表明用亲和层析纯化的羧酸酯酶A2比从蚊虫中提取的纯度高,羧酸酯酶A2表达纯化及特征分析为其应用奠定了基础。     

Synthesis of paf-acether by E. coli K12

Paf-acether (platelet-activating factor) is one of the most potent mediator of inflammation released from and acting on most cells that participate in inflammatory diseases. Its molecular structure is 1-O-alkyl-2-O-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Two metabolic steps are involved in its biosynthesis: the action of a phospholipase A2 on choline-containing membrane alkyl-ether lipids results in the production of lyso paf-acether and acetylation of the lyso compound by an acetyltransferase yields the biologically active molecule. Membrane alkyl-ether lipids can therefore be considered as potential precursors of paf-acether and their composition has been studied in various cell types. In this work, we investigated the presence of paf-acether in E. coli. Our results showed that paf-acether can be obtained from E. coli K12 under a variety of bacterial growth conditions. Paf-acether from E. coli exhibited the same physicochemical and biological characteristics as synthetic paf-acether and that from eucaryotic cells. Therefore, it appears that E. coli itself has the ability of producing paf-acether, a result that could be of some importance with respect to the pathogenesis of Enterobacteria and the use of E. coli in the recombinant DNA technology.     

羧酸酯酶A2在大肠杆菌中的表达及特征分析

本研究采用RT-PCR法从抗性蚊虫(Culex quinquefasciatus)中克隆了羧酸酯酶A2的全长cDNA,对其进行了序列测定,并构建了融合表达质粒pET-ESTA2。转化大肠杆菌BL21后,在异丙基硫代牛乳糖苷(IPTG)的诱导下,使羧酸酯酶A2在大肠杆菌内得到表达。表达产物经亲和层析纯化获得了1条带的重组蛋白。与报道的从蚊虫体内纯化的羧酸酯酶相比,从表达产物中纯化的羧酸酯酶Km与其一致,但从表达产物纯化的羧酸酯酶的Vm比蚊虫中纯化的羧酸酯酶的Vm高。表明用亲和层析纯化的羧酸酯酶A2比从蚊虫中提取的纯度高。羧酸酯酶A2表达纯化及特征分析为其应用奠定了基础。     

Detection of Escherichia coli in blood using flow cytometry

A rapid method for the detection of Escherichia coli in blood has been developed. The method employs blood cell lysis, staining of bacteria with ethidium bromide, and detection of stained bacteria using flow cytometry. The detection protocol requires less than 2 h sample handling time and is not dependent on bacterial growth. This method has been applied to human donor blood specimens seeded with various E. coli concentrations and to two rabbit model systems. Bacterial detection is evident from the in vitro human blood studies at levels of 10 E. coli/ml and from in vivo rabbit model studies at less than 100 E. coli/ml.     

Radiation sensitization of Escherichia coli B/r by 2'-chloro-2'-deoxythymidine under various irradiation conditions

In order to elucidate the mechanism of sensitization of E. coli B/r cells to X-irradiation by 2'-chloro-2'-deoxythymidine (2'Cl-TdR), the survival curves of the cells in which 2'Cl-TdR was incorporated into DNA were obtained following X-irradiation under various conditions. The marked sensitization of E. coli cells by 2'Cl-TdR to the killing action of X-rays was observed, when E. coli cells labelled with 2'Cl-TdR were exposed to X-rays in the absence of oxygen as well as in the presence of oxygen. The sensitization factor calculated from inactivation constants from survival curves irradiated in the absence of O2 was about a half of that obtained in the presence of O2. Under the conditions where 2'Cl-TdR was not incorporated into the DNA of E. coli cells, the presence of 2'Cl-TdR in the cell suspension fluid at the time of irradiation caused no sensitization of the cells to X-irradiation. The sensitization factor for 2'Cl-TdR obtained under N2O was almost same as that obtained under N2. It was also observed that the sensitization factor obtained in the presence of glycerol at a concentration of 1 mol dm-3 under N2 was similar to that obtained in the absence of glycerol. These results indicated that the direct effect of ionizing radiation on DNA was closely associated with the sensitization of E. coli B/r cells by 2'Cl-TdR and that the radical at the C-2' position of the deoxyribose moiety in DNA produced by X-irradiation was transformed into lethal damage for E. coli cells even in the absence of O2. However, this transformation occurred more efficiently in the presence of O2 than in the absence of O2.     

Improved penicillin amidase production using a genetically engineered mutant of Escherichia coli ATCC 11105

Penicillin G amidase (PGA) is a key enzyme for the industrial production of penicillin G derivatives used in therapeutics. Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 is the more commonly used strain for PGA production. To improve enzyme yield, we constructed various recombinant E. coli HB101 and ATCC 11105 strains. For each strain, PGA production was determined for various concentrations of glucose and phenylacetic and (PAA) in the medium. The E. coli strain, G271, was identified as the best performer (800 U NIPAB/L). This strain was obtained as follows: an E. coli ATCC 11105 mutant (E. coli G133) was first selected based on a low negative effect of glucose on PGA production. This mutant was then transformed with a pBR322 derivative containing the PGA gene. Various experiments were made to try to understand the reason for the high productivity of E. coli G271. The host strain, E. coli G133, was found to be mutated in one (or more) gene(s) whose product(s) act(s) in trans on the PGA gene expression. Its growth is not inhibited by high glucose concentration in the medium. Interestingly, whereas glucose still exerts some negative effect on the PGA production by E. coli G133, PGA production by its transformant (E. coli G271) is stimulated by glucose. The reason for this stimulation is discussed. Transformation of E. coli G133 with a pBR322 derivative containing the Hindlll fragment of the PGA gene, showed that the performance of E. coli G271 depends both upon the host strain properties and the plasmid structure. Study of the production by the less efficient E. coli HB101 derivatives brought some light on the mechanism of regulation of the PGA gene. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Isolation and characterization of the yeast 3-phosphoglycerokinase gene (PGK) by an immunological screening technique

An immunological screening technique has been used for the detection of a specific antigen-producing clone in a bank of bacterial colonies containing hybrid plasmids. This technique involves covalent attachment of antiserum to cyanogen bromide-activated paper discs, contact of this paper with lysed colonies on agar plates, and finally detection of the bound antigen with 125I-labeled antibody. Using this method, we have identified an Escherichia coli colony, containing a yeast DNA insert in plasmid ColE1, that produces antigen which combines with antibody directed against purified yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. The hybrid plasmid (pYe57E2) obtained by this procedure has been shown by both biochemical and genetic methods to contain the structural gene PGK for yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. The location of the PGK structural gene on pYe56E2 was determined by immunological screening of E. coli colonies bearing plasmids containing various reconstructions of the original yeast DNA insert. Examination of the expression of the cloned yeast PGK gene in both E. coli and yeast has shown that functional enzyme is synthesized from the cloned gene in yeast, but not in E. coli.     

Expression of the cloned Escherichia coli O9 rfb gene in various mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium.

To investigate the effect of chromosomal mutation on the synthesis of rfe-dependent Escherichia coli O9 lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the cloned E. coli O9 rfb gene was introduced into Salmonella typhimurium strains defective in various genes involved in the synthesis of LPS. When E. coli O9 rfb was introduced into S. typhimurium strains possessing defects in rfb or rfc, they synthesized E. coli O9 LPS on their cell surfaces. The rfe-defective mutant of S. typhimurium synthesized only very small amounts of E. coli O9 LPS after the introduction of E. coli O9 rfb. These results confirmed the widely accepted idea that the biosynthesis of E. coli O9-specific polysaccharide does not require rfc but requires rfe. By using an rfbT mutant of the E. coli O9 rfb gene, the mechanism of transfer of the synthesized E. coli O9-specific polysaccharide from antigen carrier lipid to the R-core of S. typhimurium was investigated. The rfbT mutant of the E. coli O9 rfb gene failed to direct the synthesis of E. coli O9 LPS in the rfc mutant strain of S. typhimurium, in which rfaL and rfbT functions are intact, but directed the synthesis of the precursor. Because the intact E. coli O9 rfb gene directed the synthesis of E. coli O9 LPS in the same strain, it was suggested that the rfaL product of S. typhimurium and rfbT product of E. coli O9 cooperate to synthesize E. coli O9 LPS in S. typhimurium.