Production of cytotoxin VT in enteropathogenic and non-enteropathogenic Eschericha coli strains of porcine origin

Abstract We have investigated the production of verotoxin (VT) in 55 enteropathogenic and 48 non-enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains of porcine origin, belonging to 48 serotypes. VT cytotoxin was only produced by seven out of the eight enteropathogenic strains with serotypes O138:K81, O139:K82, O141:K85ab and O141:K85ac. Five haemolytic non-enteropathogenic E. coli , four with serotypes O75:K-, O75:K95 and O2:K2, and one not typable, synthesized a new thermolabile product not related with enterotoxin (LT) or VT, and which induced the formation of multinucleate cells in Vero monolayers.