Phenotypic and genotypic traits of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from beef cattle from Paraná State, southern Brazil

AIMS: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle from Paraná State, southern Brazil. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and seven faeces cattle samples were cultured on Sorbitol-MacConkey agar. Escherichia coli colonies were tested for production of Shiga toxin using Vero-cell assay. A high prevalence (57%) of STEC was found. Sixty-four STEC were serotyped and examined for the presence of stx(1), stx(2), eae, ehxA and saa genes and stx(2) variants. The isolates belonged to 31 different serotypes, of which three (O152:H8, O175:H21 and O176:H18) had not previously been associated with STEC. A high prevalence of stx(2)-type genes was found (62 strains, 97%). Variant forms found were stx(2), stx(2c), stx(2vhb), stx(2vO111v/OX393) and a form nonclassifiable by PCR-RFLP. The commonest genotypes were stx(2)ehxA saa and stx(1)stx(2)ehxA saa. CONCLUSIONS: A high frequency of STEC was observed. Several strains belong to serotypes previously associated with human disease and carry stx(2) and other virulence factors, thus potentially representing a risk to human health. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first study of STEC in Paraná State, and its findings emphasize the need for proper cattle handling to prevent human contamination.     

MGB(Minor Groove Binder)复合探针二重实时定量PCR检测大肠杆菌O157

以大肠杆菌O157rfbE和stx2为待检靶基因,设计两对引物和两条MGB探针,rfbE和stx2探针5′端分别用FAM和VIC基团标记,3′端均用Taqman-MGB标记。建立并优化了检测大肠杆菌O157的二重荧光定量PCR方法,可检测的最低DNA浓度是10拷贝/μL;实验中O157菌株检测结果均为rfbE阳性,而非O157菌株检测结果均为阴性;重复性实验中,批间差异小于80%,批内差异小于70%。实验结果显示此二重荧光定量PCR方法可对分离的可疑大肠杆菌O157菌株进行快速鉴定,同时得知菌株是否携带stx2毒力基因,有利于菌株毒力强弱的判定。     

产志贺毒素大肠杆菌O18 XZ113 株主要毒力基因eaeA、stx2、ehxA 突变株的构建及其对小鼠的致病作用

[目的]探讨毒力基因eaeA、stx2、ehxA与产志贺毒素大肠杆菌O18致病力的关系.[方法]利用λ-Red重组系统,构建STEC XZ113株eaeA、stx2、ehxA基因缺失突变株并进行一系列生物学特性的研究.[结果]细胞粘附试验表明突变株XZ113△eaeA对HEp-2细胞的粘附能力明显降低;Vero细胞毒素试验表明突变株XZ113 △stx2失去了使Vero细胞发生病变的能力;溶血活性试验表明突变株XZ113△ehxA无法在血平板上产生溶血圈,丢失了溶血能力.回复株在以上表型方面与野生株XZ113一致;与亲本株的体外竞争试验结果表明,突变株竞争力减弱,体内竞争结果表明突变株XZ1 13△eaeA被中度致弱;突变株XZ113 △stx2和突变株XZ113△ehxA被高度致弱.[结论]stx2、ehxA基因在STEC O18 XZ113株的致病过程中发挥着更为重要的作用.     

Characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated from aquatic environments

This study reports the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of 144 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated from urban sewage and animal wastewaters using a Shiga toxin 2 gene variant (stx(2))-specific DNA colony hybridization method. All the strains were classified as E. coli and belonged to 34 different serotypes, some of which had not been previously reported to carry the stx(2) genes (O8:H31, O89:H19, O166:H21 and O181:H20). Five stx(2) subtypes (stx(2), stx(2c), stx(2d), stx(2e) and stx(2g)) were detected. The stx(2), stx(2c), stx(2d) and stx(2e) subtypes were present in urban sewage and stx(2e) was the only stx(2) subtype found in pig wastewater samples. The stx(2c) and stx(2g) were more associated with cattle wastewater. One strain was positive for the intimin gene (eae) and five strains of serotypes were positive for the adhesin encoded by the saa gene. A total of 41 different seropathotypes were found. On the basis of occurrence of virulence genes, most non-O157 STEC strains are assumed to be low-virulence serotypes.     

Virulence characteristics of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli from raw meats and clinical samples

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are dangerous foodborne pathogens. Foods are considered as important sources for STEC infection in human. In this study, STEC contamination of raw meats was investigated and the virulence factors of 120 clinical STEC strains characterized. STEC was detected in 4.4% of tested samples. Among 25 STEC strains from meats, five strains (20%) were positive for the eae gene, which encodes intimin, an important binding protein of pathogenic STEC. The remaining strains (80%) were eae‐negative. However, 28% of them possessed the saa gene, which encodes STEC agglutinating adhesin. The ehxA gene encoding for enterohemolysin was found in 75% of the meat strains and the subAB gene, the product is of which subtilase cytotoxin, was found in 32% of these strains. The stx_2a gene, a subtype of Shiga toxin gene (stx), was the most prevalent subtype among the identified meat STEC bacteria. None of the meat STEC was O157:H7 serotype. Nevertheless, 92% of them produced Shiga toxin (Stx). Among 120 clinical STEC strains, 30% and 70% strains harbored single and multiple stx subtypes, respectively. Most clinical STEC bacteria possessed eae (90.8%) and ehxA (96.7%) genes and 92.5% of them showed Stx productivity. Our study shows that some raw meat samples contain non‐O157 STEC bacteria and some strains have virulence factors similar to those of clinical strains.     

Characterisation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolated from seafood and beef

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated in Mangalore, India, were characterised by bead-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bead-ELISA), Vero cell cytotoxicity assay, PCR and colony hybridisation for the detection of stx1 and stx2 genes. Four strains from seafood, six from beef and one from a clinical case of bloody diarrhoea were positive for Shiga toxins Stx1 and Stx2 and also for stx1and stx2 genes. The seafood isolates produced either Stx2 alone or both Stx1 and Stx2, while the beef isolates produced Stx1 alone. The stx1 gene of all the beef STEC was found to be of recently reported stx1c type. All STEC strains and one non-STEC strain isolated from clam harboured EHEC-hlyA. Interestingly, though all STEC strains were negative for eae gene, two STEC strains isolated from seafood and one from a patient with bloody diarrhoea possessed STEC autoagglutinating adhesion (saa) gene, recently identified as a gene encoding a novel autoagglutinating adhesion.     

Development of a real-time PCR assay with an internal amplification control for the screening of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in foods

Aims:  To develop and evaluate a real-time PCR assay incorporating an internal amplification control (IAC) suitable for the screening of Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in foods.
Methods and Results:  A competitive IAC was constructed and included in an stx -specific real-time PCR assay. Coupled to 18-h enrichment and automated DNA extraction, the assay could reliably detect the presence of STEC in minced meats inoculated at 10 CFU per 25 g. Its performance was evaluated on 415 minced beef and 112 raw milk cheese samples and compared with that of a PCR-ELISA method. Fifty-three minced meats and 31 cheeses were found stx -positive, giving 98·3% and 93·75% concordance, respectively, with the PCR-ELISA reference method.
Conclusions:  A highly sensitive stx -specific real-time PCR method including an IAC was developed, facilitating monitoring of false-negative results due to PCR inhibitors.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  Combined with automated DNA extraction, the stx -IAC real-time PCR assay represents a suitable method for rapid screening of STEC in foods.     

Screening of food raw materials for the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O91:H21

Aims:  To provide information on the prevalence and detection, in foods, of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O91:H21.
Methods and Results:  Seven hundred fifteen minced beef meats and 205 raw milk samples were analysed by stx -specific PCR-ELISA. Samples positive for stx were subsequently tested for the presence of wzy -O91, fliC -H21 and the adhesin-encoding gene saa . For minced meat, 16 (2·2%) and 11 (1·5%) samples were found positive for ( stx , wzy -O91, fliC -H21) and ( stx , wzy -O91, fliC -H21, saa ) combinations, respectively. For raw milk, seven (3·4%) samples were found positive for the ( stx , wzy -O91, fliC -H21) combination but none of these contained saa . Two STEC O91:H21 saa -positive strains and three STEC O91 H21– and saa -negative strains were isolated by colony hybridization.
Conclusions:  A low prevalence of potentially pathogenic STEC O91:H21 in food products was found using a combination of PCR assays targeting stx , wzy -O91, fliC -H21 and saa .
Significance and Impact of the Study:  The PCR-based approach described here represents a valuable method for rapid screening of food samples contaminated by STEC O91:H21.     

Isolation of atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Shiga toxin 1 and 2f-producing Escherichia coli from avian species in India

Aims: To study the prevalence and characterize atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in avian species in India. Methods and Results: Two hundred and twelve faecal samples collected from 62 chickens, 50 ducks and 100 pigeons were investigated for the presence of stx₁, stx₂, eae and ehxA virulence genes by multiplex PCR. In all, 42 E. coli isolates (25 chicken, 2 duck and 15 pigeon) possessed at least one virulence gene. Out of these, nine (4·24%) isolates were STEC and 33 (15·56%) were EPEC. All isolates from duck and chicken were EPEC while among 15 pigeon isolates nine (60%) were STEC and six (40%) were EPEC. Among the STEC isolates four each carried stx₁ or stx₂ and one possessed both stx₁ and stx₂. Subtype analysis of stx revealed the presence of stx_2f in four STEC isolates. None of the STEC isolates carried stx_1c, stx_2c, stx_2d or stx_2e. Isolates carrying stx_2f demonstrated vero cell toxicity. One each belonged to serogroup O17 and O78, while one was rough and the other untypeable. All EPEC isolates were atypical as they lacked bfpA. This appears to be the first report of detection of stx_2f from India. Conclusions: The study established the presence of stx₁ and stx_2f containing E. coli in pigeons and atypical EPEC in poultry in India. Pigeons might serve as vectors for transmission of STEC to environment and humans. Significance and Impact of the Study: Taking into account the close contact between fanciers and pigeons, these findings warrant a more critical appraisal of these zoonotic pathogens in pigeons and humans.