Abstract: | This study was aimed at recognition of frequency of occurrence of P fimbriae in strains of Escherichia coli isolated from samples of feces of children with symptoms of diarrhoea and at search of these adhesions in strains representing other than Escherichia genera of Enterobacteriaceae strains. One hundred forty laboratory strains were investigated. They belonged to genus Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Hafnia, Klebsiella, Morganella, Proteus, Providencia, Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia. Also were tested 1277 colonies of enteric rods isolated from the MacConkey's medium inoculated with samples of feces from 163 children with symptoms of diarrhoea. Mannose-resistant active hemagglutination test was performed with human group O erythrocytes and guinea pig erythrocytes stabilized with glutaraldehyde. Presence of P fimbriae was detected by the slide latex test with latex covered by P1 glycoprotein. Among 140 laboratory strains of Enterobacteriaceae in 21 strains (3-E. cloaceae, 2-Hafnia, 13-K. pneumoniae, 2-P. rettgeri and in one strains of Providencia) presence of MRHA adhesins was demonstrated. Nine of these strains (2-Hafnia, 5-K. pneumoniae and 2-P. rettgeri) reacted specifically in the latex test. Among 1142 colonies of E. coli isolated from children with symptoms of diarrhoea, 326 colonies belonged to 13 EPEC serotypes. With 118 (36.2%) of EPEC colonies a positive result of MRHA reaction was found with human erythrocytes and 34 (10.4%) with guinea pig erythrocytes. Positive latex test was obtained with 77 (23.6%) colonies. All these colonies possessed MRHA adhesins. Remaining 816 colonies of E. coli strains did not represent microorganisms belonging to serotypes accepted as enteropathogenic. From 112 (13.7%) colonies out of 816 not belonging to EPEC, positive results was obtained in the MRHA test with human erythrocytes and this was the case also with 41 (5.0%) colonies in MRHA reaction with application of guinea pig erythrocytes. The latex test was positive in 65 (7.9%) colonies of E. coli. From remaining 135 colonies other than E. coli, positive result of latex test of presence of P fimbriae was obtained with 54 (40.0%) colonies, including 14 colonies of E. cloacae, 23-K. pneumoniae and 17-K. oxytoca. In all these strains presence of MRHA adhesins was demonstrated. These investigations demonstrated that among EPEC strains significantly more frequently, than not belonging to these serotypes of E. coli, MRHA adhesins, including P fimbriae was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) |