Characterisation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coliO157 strains isolated from humans in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

Background: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important cause of bloody diarrhoea (BD), non-bloody diarrhoea (NBD) and the haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). In Argentina and New Zealand, the most prevalent STEC serotype is O157:H7, which is responsible for the majority of HUS cases. In Australia, on the other hand, STEC O157:H7 is associated with a minority of HUS cases. The main aims of this study were to compare the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of STEC O157 strains isolated between 1993 and 1996 from humans in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, and to establish their clonal relatedness.

Modeling gene associations for virulence classification of verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) from patients and beef

“…22,23 Interestingly, in Australia, where the incidence of EHEC is relatively low, the vtx2 2 gene is also more rarely reported and seldom appears alone, in contrast to the situation in Europe. [24][25][26] The LEE operon and genes encoding proteins secreted by the type III secretion system have been investigated as discriminators for high virulence. 8,9,11 In particular, the PAI (pathogenicity island) OI:122 encoding the non-LEE effectors nleB and nleE has been pointed out as an important contributor to high virulence.…”

Evidence for the benefits of food chain interventions on E. coli O157:H7/NM prevalence in retail ground beef and human disease incidence: A success story

“…3,4 E. coli O157:H7/NM is a pathogen with worldwide distribution, [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] with infections more commonly reported in northern latitudes 1,12 and in the summer. [13][14][15] E. coli O157:H7/NM may be carried by a wide range of animals, with cattle and other domestic ruminants recognized as important reservoirs.…”

The frequency of shiga-like toxin (stx1 and stx2) and EHEC-hlyA in food by multiplex PCR

“…According to CDC reports, 41% of 183 E.coli O157:H7 epidemic occurring from 1982 to 2002 was caused by steak and 21% was due to different animal products (26)(27)(28)(29).…”

“…Therefore, rapid and accurate detection of this toxin (stx2) in food is very important in preventing STEC infections (24)(25)(26)(27).…”