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Escherichia coli O.128 Causing Gastro-enteritis of Infants
... Escherichia coli strains of serogroup 0128 were first isolated by Taylor and Charter from cases of infantile diarrhea (25). These authors described six serotypes (O:H types) in this serogroup: H-(nonmotile), H2 (most common), H8, H9, H10, and H12. ...
Strains of three subgroups of Escherichia coli O128 were studied. Enterotoxin production was observed in 30 (91%) O128ac strains, whereas strains of subgroups O128ab and O128ad were not toxigenic. CFA/I was only found in two serotypes of subgroup O128ac, all of them producing heat-stable enterotoxin except for one which produced both toxins. None of the strains studied produced CFA/II. In a binding test with HeLa cells, localized adherence was found only in strains of subgroup O128ab; diffuse adherence occurred in strains of subgroup O128ac. As flagellar antigens were specific in subgroups ab and ac and toxin production was observed only in subgroup ac, the present results suggest that subgroup and serotype are useful markers for O128 strains that are enterotoxigenic or enteropathogenic.
... The remaining 42 isolates (which possessed eae alone) belonged to 25 serotypes and 11 intimin types. Several of the 42 eae , stx , and ehxA isolates, including isolates of serotypes O26:H (Int-), O55:H6 (Int-1), O86:H (Int-), O111:H (Int-), O126:H2 (Int-), O127:H (Int-1), and O128:H2 (Int-), were isolated prior to 1955 (25,33,34,(45)(46)(47); and the majority of these were from patients with infantile diarrhea. Thus, these isolates probably represent typical EPEC isolates, although further studies are needed to confirm this. ...
The intimin gene eae, located within the locus of enterocyte effacement pathogenicity island, distinguishes enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and some Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strains from all other pathotypes of diarrheagenic E. coli. EPEC is a leading cause of infantile diarrhea in developing countries, and intimin-positive STEC isolates are typically associated with life-threatening diseases such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome and hemorrhagic colitis. Here we describe the development of a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay that reliably differentiates all 11 known intimin types (alpha1, alpha2, beta, gamma, kappa, epsilon, eta, iota, lambda, theta, and zeta) and three new intimin genes that show less than 95% nucleotide sequence identity with existing intimin types. We designated these new intimin genes Int- micro, Int-nu, and Int-xi. The PCR-RFLP assay was used to screen 213 eae-positive E. coli isolates derived from ovine, bovine, and human sources comprising 60 serotypes. Of these, 82 were STEC isolates, 89 were stx-negative (stx(-)) and ehxA-positive (ehxA(+)) isolates, and 42 were stx(-) and ehxA-negative isolates. Int-beta, the most commonly identified eae subtype (82 of 213 [38.5%] isolates), was associated with 21 serotypes, followed by Int-zeta (39 of 213 [18.3%] isolates; 11 serotypes), Int-theta (25 of 213 [11.7%] isolates; 15 serotypes), Int-gamma (19 of 213 [8.9%] isolates; 9 serotypes), and Int-epsilon (21 of 213 [9.9%] isolates; 5 serotypes). Intimin subtypes alpha1, alpha2, kappa, lambda, xi, micro, nu, and iota were infrequently identified; and Int-eta was not detected. Phylogenetic analyses with the Phylip package of programs clustered the intimin subtypes into nine distinct families (alpha, beta-xi, gamma, kappa, epsilon-eta-nu, iota- micro, lambda, theta, and zeta). Our data confirm that ruminants are an important source of serologically and genetically diverse intimin-containing E. coli strains.
Foram estudadas 103 cepas de Escherichia coli do sorogrupo O128, quanto às características fenotípicas e genotípicas associadas à virulência. Cinqüenta e nove cepas representantes de todos os sorotipos foram submetidas a ribotipagem. Os sorotipos mais freqüentes foram O128:H35 (41,7%), O128:H2 (14,6%), O128:H- (8,7%) e O128:H8 (6,8%). Diferentes grupos enteropatogênicos foram identificados. Somente as cepas do sorotipo O128:H2 foram positivas para as sondas eae and bfpA e apresentaram o padrão de adesão AL-like. Cepas do sorotipo O128:H8 e algumas imóveis reagiram apenas com a sonda eae e foram classificadas como EPEC atípicas. As cepas O128:H35 corresponderam à categoria enteroagregativa e os sorotipos O128:H7, O128:H21, O128:H27 e as cepas imóveis foram classificadas como enterotoxigênicas. Todas as cepas que apresentaram marcadores de virulência pertenciam ao grupo clonal A, enquanto que no grupo clonal B estavam incluídas as cepas desprovidas dos fatores de virulência pesquisados.
Infantile diarrhea is a serious public health problem in Chile, and is an important factor in the postneonatal mortality rate.
The disease is not only endemic, but assumes epidemic proportions during the summer. The epidemiologic factors are poor sanitation, inadequate hygiene, and the climate.
Morbidity and mortality are high in those groups of the population whose social and economic status is low. The infants in this segment of the population are in a chronic state of malnutrition, which is a complicating factor of infantile diarrhea.
We have found that a therapeutic program consisting of antibacterial drugs for the intestinal infection, cautious feeding with acidified half-skimmed milk, and administration of solutions which correct the water and electrolyte losses is effective in treating infantile diarrhea with acute dehydration.
The problem of adequate personnel and of hospital and clinic facilities is especially acute in the summer, when the incidence of infantile diarrhea rises sharply. To cope with this problem, Hydration Centers are being set up to treat acutely ill infants on an ambulatory basis.
The Center at the Manuel Arriarán Hospital in Santiago was established in 1955, and has treated a total of 4,124 infants through the summers 1955 to 1959. Two-thirds of the cases were successfully treated and did not have to be hospitalized. Fluid replacement was accomplished by indwelling gastric catheter, and occasionally intravenously. The former is a simple technic, and is especially valuable in areas where nursing personnel and more elaborate equipment are not readily available.
Hydration Centers can be easily set up wherever there is need for them, but the essential follow-up requires an administrative coordination of various health agencies. However, Hydration Centers are merely emergency measures; the problem of infantile diarrhea can be solved only by adequate prevention and immediate treatment of intestinal infections.
Die Diphtherie (engl. Diphtheria; franz. La diphtérie; ital. difterite; span. difteria) ist eine locale, durch eine Gruppe von Corynebakterien verursachte Gewebsreaktion mit mehr oder weniger ausgeprägter allgemeiner Vergiftung und unter Umständen mechanischer Behinderung der Atmung.
An Hand eigener Befunde und Ergebnisse anderer Untersucher wird die Möglichkeit zur Herstellung absorbiorter Seren für die Diagnostik enteropathogener Coli-Gruppen mittels der Objektglasagglutination erlautert.
Some faecal material from native animals and birds (especially) showed either no coli-aerogenes bacteria or contained types other than Escherichia coli I.
Amongst coli-aerogenes isolates, E. coli I was frequent but the high percentage of other biotypes indicated that the animal host may serve as a pool of intermediate and irregular strains. Paracolons and Proteus spp. were abundant, and Salmonella spp. were isolated from dogs and native animals possibly in contact with man.
Animals were only occasionally carriers of enteropathogenic E. coli serotypes and seldom of types locally important in the etiology of infantile diarrhoea, such as E. coli O26:B6 and O55:B5. In this series O86 serotypes other than the diarrhoeal strain isolated from babies were found. The results of the study indicated some degree of host specificity. In the group of 20 O serotypes (referred to as specific E. coli), O8 was most commonly listed. Most strains were sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents but resistance of some strains especially to sulphonamide was recorded.
The implication of the presence in the animal gut of coli-aerogenes bacteria other than E. coli type I is discussed in relation to bacterial standards for drinking water.
In den Jahren 1957–1960 wurden am Hygiene-Institut Frankfurt am Main 8773 Stuhluntersuchungen auf D.-Colibakterien durchgefhrt, von denen 2470, das sind 28,60%, positiv waren. Die Hufigkeit der einzelnen Typen wird aufgezeigt. Besonders auffallend ist dabei der Rckgang der D.-Coli 0111:B4 und 055:B5 und der sprunghafte Anstieg des Typs 0127:B8, auf dessen klinische Bedeutung besonders hingewiesen wird. Ergnzend wird ber zwei 0127:B8-Krankenhausendemien berichtet.
Dass. Ausz. (Rothenburg o. d. Tbr 1957: Peter, Gebr. Holstein.) S. 563-571. 8 [Umschlagt.] (Nur in beschr. Anz. f. d. Aust.) - Aus: Zeitschrift f. Kinderheilkunde. Bd 79. 1957 Erlangen, Med. F., Diss. v. 29. April 1958 (Nicht f. d. Aust.).
There are four major categories of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli: enterotoxigenic (a major cause of travelers' diarrhea and infant diarrhea in less-developed countries), enteroinvasive (a
cause of dysentery), enteropathogenic (an important cause of infant diarrhea), and enterohemorrhagic (a cause of hemorrhagic
colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome). Besides manifesting distinct clinical patterns, these categories of E. coli differ in their epidemiology and pathogenesis and in their O:H serotypes. Common features (albeit distinct for each category)
include plasmid-encoded virulence properties, characteristic interactions with intestinal mucosa, and elaboration of various
types of enterotoxins or cytotoxins. A less-well-defined fifth category of diarrheagenic E. coli is that of enteroadherent E. coli, so far identifiable only by their pattern of adherence to Hep-2 cells in tissue culture.
Ninety strains of Escherichia coli O128 isolated in many different countries were examined. The majority (77 strains) belonged to the antigenic subgroup O128ab, and 41 of these strains produced heat-stable enterotoxin (ST), heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), or both. Eight strains were of the antigenic subgroup O128ac; six produced ST only, and two were nontoxigenic. Five strains were of the antigenic subgroup O128abc; two produced ST and LT, and three were nontoxigenic. Ten of the strains studied produced Vero cytotoxin, and all belonged to the antigenic subgroup O128ab. It was concluded that, contrary to the report of Guth et al. (B. E. C. Guth, M. L. M. Silva, I. C. A. Scaletsky, M. R. F. Toledo, and L. R. Trabulsi, Infect. Immun. 47:338-340, 1985), enterotoxigenic strains of E. coli O128 are not restricted to subgroup ac but also belong to the most common subgroup, ab.
Escherichia coli strains belonging to serotype O128ac:H12 and producing heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) and colonization factor CFA/I were found in Sao Paulo in children with diarrhea, but not in normal children. Segregants occurred in such strains with a frequency of about 10%, which have lost the ability to produce ST and CFA/I at the same time. From one strain, both properties were transformed jointly in matings to an E. coli K-12 strain. All such ST+ CFA/I+ progeny had received two plasmids of length 97 and 64 kilobases in the matings. Insertion of a transposon, Tn5, carrying a gene for kanamycin resistance, into the two plasmids enabled us to select for kanamycin-resistant progeny in further matings. Analysis of such progeny strains in terms of plasmid content and production of ST and CFA/I revealed that the larger plasmid carries the genes for St and CFA/I and is not self-transmissible, whereas the smaller plasmid does not carry any recognizable phenotypic traits, but is conjugative and promotes cotransfer of the larger plasmid with a frequency of about 30%.
Nine strains of Escherichia coli isolated from infants with diarrhoea between 1947 and 1960 and designated "enteropathogenic" were examined for phenotypic and genetic characters associated with virulence. Each strain belonged to a different serotype. All the isolates were historically significant in that they were amongst the first strains of E. coli reported to be causally associated with infantile diarrhoea. Five strains possessed the virulence properties of class I enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). All these strains were isolated originally from symptomatic children during outbreaks of diarrhoea. Two isolates from sporadic cases of diarrhoea fulfilled the criteria for classification as class II EPEC. One strain was identified as enteroaggregative E. coli and the other carried no known virulence-associated properties. These findings indicate that most early isolates of E. coli which were designated "enteropathogenic" were indeed EPEC, as currently defined.
This is the first comprehensive serological analysis of a haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) outbreak. A wide range of 'O' group Escherichia coli antibody responses in patients and controls was examined. The study provides a unique insight into the epidemiology of such epidemics, points a way to the most appropriate investigation of these and indicates possible answers to a number of issues related to severity of disease. In order to be able to test for a wide variety of E. coli 'O' antigens, a microagglutination assay was used to examine E. coli 'O' group serological responses of 22 children admitted to hospital with HUS and 14 contemporaneous age-matched controls. A total of 51 'O' serogroup strains were used. These included 'O' groups reported to be associated with cases of HUS, with 6 isolates from patients associated with the Adelaide outbreak (O26, O111, O123 and O157), environmental Verocytotoxigenic/Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC/STEC) strains and common human commensal strains. Sixteen clinically confirmed HUS cases (72.7%) of 22 seroconverted to 1 or more serogroups of which 11 (50%) seroconverted to O111 (the serogroup isolated from 16 patients). In addition, 11 (50%) and 10 (45.5%) developed antibody to O137 and O145, respectively, although no stool isolates of these serogroups were made. Seventeen (77.3%) of 22 HUS patients had antibody to serogroup O157, with 11 (50%) seroconversions, however, O157:H- was isolated from only 2 of these. Overall, titres ranged from 100 to 6400, some of the highest in 3 patients were against O157, whose faeces yielded only Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O111, and only 1 developed O111 antibody. Mixed infection was demonstrated serologically by microagglutination (confirmed by Western blot) and was consistent with the findings of multiple serogroups of VTEC found in the mettwurst incriminated as the source, and suggests further strains (not found in the source or in patients' faeces) were probably also involved. In HUS associated with EHEC infection, multiple strain infection may be the rule rather than the exception. A relationship with clinical severity deserves further investigation. Non-O157 EHEC (in addition to O157) should be sought in all future outbreaks of EHEC disease.
Typical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains produce bundle-forming pili (BFP), type IVB fimbriae that have been implicated in EPEC virulence, antigenicity,
autoaggregation, and localized adherence to epithelial cells (LA). BFP are polymers of bundlin, a pilin protein that is encoded
by the bfpA gene found on a large EPEC plasmid. Striking sequence variation has previously been observed among type IV pilin genes of
other gram-negative bacterial pathogens (e.g., Pseudomonas andNeisseria spp.). In contrast, the established sequences ofbfpA genes from two distantly related prototype EPEC strains vary by only a single base pair. To determine whether bundlin sequences
vary more extensively, we used PCR to amplify thebfpA genes from 19 EPEC strains chosen for their various serotypes and sites and years of isolation. Eight differentbfpA alleles were identified by sequencing of the PCR products. These alleles can be classified into two major groups. The α group
contains three alleles derived from strains carrying O55, O86, O111, O119, O127, or O128 somatic antigens. The β group contains
five alleles derived from strains carrying O55, O110, O128ab, O142, or nontypeable antigens. Sequence comparisons show that
bundlin has highly conserved and variable regions, with most of the variation occurring in the C-terminal two-thirds of the
protein. The results of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis support the hypothesis that bfpAsequences have spread horizontally across distantly related clonal lineages. Strains with divergent bundlin sequences express
bundlin protein, produce BFP, and carry out autoaggregation and LA. However, four strains lack most or all of these phenotypes
despite having an intact bfpA gene. These results have important implications for our understanding of bundlin structure, transmission of thebfp gene cluster among EPEC strains, and the role of bundlin variation in the evasion of host immune system responses.
The diarrhoeal diseases are now a minor cause of death in England and Wales, although they remain a major cause of acute illness in children and of absenteeism among adults. Since the Second World War there has been a general rise in the annual number of Salmonella infections, with, however, a drop in the years 1956 and 1957. Infection with Shigella sonnei-the only member of the dysentery group which causes disease at all commonly in England and Wales-has shown a steady increase. Escherichia coli infection has fallen considerably but continues to be a common cause of infantile diarrhoea.A number of environmental factors are discussed in connexion with these three main agents of diarrhoeal disease; and in a consideration of sources of infection the author suggests that while cases of clinical illness are the most important source of illness due to Sh. sonnei and E. coli, human foods, animal feeding stuffs and fertilizers are also responsible for much infection with the salmonellae. The different serotypes or Salmonella and E. coli are reviewed in relation to the epidemiology of the diseases they give rise to.
SUMMARY : Hydrogen sulphide production by growing cultures and non-multi- plying suspensions was compared and the factors influencing the sensitivity of the tests were investigated. Cysteine hydrochloride (0.01 yo) was added to Lemco broth to provide a medium with a standard source of sulphur. H,S was detected with lead acetate papers more readily than by lead acetate agar. Suspensions were tested with cysteine, sodium thiosulphate and sodium sulphite ; the organisms investigated were mainly Bacteriaceae and seldom failed to produce H,S from cysteine ; sodium thiosulphate was less readily attacked ; sodium sulphite was unsuitable for this technique. Media commonly used for testing the capacity of bacteria to produce H,S are reviewed and the value of this test in bacterial classifica- tion discussed. Hydrogen sulphide was one of the earliest products of bacterial decomposition to be recognized. Orlowski (1895) described H2S production by the typhoid bacillus, and Burnet & Weissenbach (1915) and Jordan & Victorson (1917) in comparative studies used H,S production to distinguish between the para- typhoid and enteritidis groups. Sasaki & Otsuka (1912) and Burger (1914) showed that many different species of bacteria produced H2S from cystine but not from taurine. Tanner (1917) found that a large number of bacteria produced H2S from peptone or cystine, and some from thiourea and thio- sulphate, though none examined produced it from sulphate or sulphite. Myers (1920) and Tilley (1923a, b) found variations in H,S production from different peptones; Tilley concluded that this was not directly related to the cystine content of the peptone. He tested media reinforced with cystine, thiosulphate, sulphite and sulphate, and concluded that a thiosulphate medium was most useful for diagnostic use. Wilson (1922-3) showed that the typhoid and paratyphoid bacteria could produce H2S from sulphite in the presence of a fermentable carbohydrate and recommended an iron + sul- phite +glucose organic medium. Tarr (1933a, b) showed that the production of H2S from cystine and cysteine by washed suspensions of Proteus vulgaris and Chromobacterium prodigiosum was enzymic ; he obtained a cell-free preparation from Proteus (Tarr, 1934). He also found that the production of H2S by Proteus from cysteine and thiosulphate was additive and independent and therefore due to two distinct enzyme systems. The cysteine enzyme was shown to be highly specific and only attacked compounds containing the a-amino-P-thiolcarboxylic acid structure. Desnuelle & Fromageot (1939) obtained a cell-free enzyme preparation from Bacterium coli to which they gave the name cysteinase. This enzyme was investigated in a number of species by Desnuelle & Fromageot (1939) and by Desnuelle, Wookey & Fromageot (1940). Fromageot (1951) concluded that cysteinase occurs in all GM VIII 3 26
Strains of Aerobacter aerogenes, A. cloacae and Escherichia coli, including mucoid capsulate, mucoid non-capsulate, smooth and rough variant forms, were grown on defined agar media. The polysaccharide content of the cultures was estimated by the anthrone method and related to the amount of growth as measured by the non-dialysable nitrogen content. Polysaccharide production, as measured by the polysaccharide : nitrogen ratio, was increased in all strains when growth was limited by a restricted supply of nitrogen source so that added carbohydrate remained in relative excess. A low incubation temperature, 15-20° instead of 35O, influenced polysaccharide production differently in the various strains and species ; thus it greatly increased production in E. coli strains, but decreased it in A. cloacae strains grown on certain media. The various strains showed considerable differences in the amount of polysaccharide production and in the distribution of the polysaccharide between the different possible sites of accumulation : i.e. intracellular, capsular and as loose slime. The mucoid strains produced the largest amounts of polysaccharide, most of which was present extracellularly as capsuIes or slime; the smooth strains produced much smaller amounts, almost entirely intracellular; a rough strain pro- duced least of all. The antigenic constitution of certain strains was examined, particularly that of a mucoid capsulate A. aerogenes and mucoid non-capsulate and non-mucoid smooth variants derived from it. The designation of such morphological and immunological variants is discussed. The amount of polysaccharide produced varies greatly with different strains and species of Enterobacteriaceae. Among twelve strains of Escherichia coli grown at 13-17' on glucose medium, Morgan & Beckwith (1939) found that the amount of polysaccharide produced, as indicated by the degree of mucoid- ness, was large in five strains, moderate in two strains and small in the remainder ; they found similar differences among salmonella strains. Mucoid, smooth and rough variants of the same strain may also show great differences in polysaccharide production. Boivin, Mesrobeanu, Magheru & Magheru (1936) measured the amount of a polysaccharide-containing substance, the ' complete antigen ', which was extracted with trichloroacetic acid from cultures of E. coli. Large amounts of this (0.41-0.98 mg./loo mg. moist culture) were found in all of six ' smooth ' strains which gave smooth colonies and were not agglutinable by trypaflavine, while none was found in five of
Serological Typing of the Colon Bacteria
- Munksgaard
Munksgaard, Serological Typing of the Colon Bacteria. Acta J. gen. 281
Acta path. microbiol. scand
- S D Henriksen
- Henriksen, S.D.