Production of cytolethal distending toxin and other virulence characteristics of Escherichia coli strains of serogroup O86

Genetic and phenotypic virulence markers of different categories of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were investigated in 106 strains of enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) serogroup O86. The most frequent serotype found was O86:H34 (86%). Strains of this serotype and the non motile ones behaved as EPEC i.e., carried eae, bfpA and EAF DNA sequences and presented localised adherence to HeLa cells. Serotypes O86:H2, O86:H6, O86:H10, O86:H18, O86:H27 and O86:H non determined, belonged to other categories. The majority of the strains of serotype O86:H34 and non motile strains produced cytolethal-distending toxin (CDT). The ribotyping analysis showed a correlation among ribotypes, virulence markers and serotypes, thus suggesting that CDT production might be a property associated with a universal clone represented by the O86:H34 serotype.Instituto Adolfo Lutz Seção de BacteriologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de MicrobiologiaInstituto Butantã Laboratório Especial de MicrobiologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de MicrobiologiaSciEL

ocorrência de Campylobacter jejuni em animais do zoológico

Fifty fecal specimens from animals of the São Paulo City Zoo were cultured for Campylobacter jejuni. The organism was isolated from 4 out 20 primates and it was not found in the other mammals and birds assayed in this study.Foram estudadas 50 amostras de fezes obtidas de diversas espécies animais da Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo. C. jejuni foi isolado em 4 dos 20 primatas estudados, não sendo encontrado nas fezes de outros mamíferos e aves ingressados neste estudo

Prevalence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in children with diarrhea in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

We report the frequency of the different diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) categories isolated from children with acute endemic diarrhea in Salvador, Bahia. The E. coli isolates were investigated by colony blot hibridization whit the following genes probes: eae, EAF, bfpA, Stx1, Stx2, ST-Ih, ST-Ip, LT-I, LT-II, INV, and EAEC, as virulence markers to distinguish typical and atypical EPEC, EHEC/STEC, ETEC, EIEC, and EAEC. Seven of the eight categories of DEC were detected. The most frequently isolated was atypical EPEC (10.1%) followed by ETEC (7.5%), and EAEC (4.2%). EHEC, STEC, EIEC, and typical EPEC were each detected once. The strains of ETEC, EAEC, and atypical EPEC belonged to a wide variety of serotypes. The serotypes of the others categories were O26:H11 (EHEC), O21:H21 (STEC), O142:H34 (typical EPEC), and O?H55 (EIEC). We also present the clinical manifestations and other pathogenic species observed in children with DEC. This is the first report of EHEC and STEC in Salvador, and one of the first in Brazil.Instituto Butantan Laboratório Especial de MicrobiologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Imunologia e Parasitologia Departamento de MicrobiologiaRobert Koch Institut Division of Emerging Bacterial PathogensInstituto de Saúde ColetivaUniversidade Federal da Bahia Departamento de PediatriaUNIFESP, Imunologia e Parasitologia Depto. de MicrobiologiaSciEL