Real-time PCR assays have been applied for the detection and quantification of pathogens in recent years. In this study two combinations of primers and fluorescent probes were designed according to the sequences of the rfb(Escherichia coli O157) and stx2 genes. Analysis of 217 bacterial strains demonstrated that the duplex real-time PCR assay successfully distinguished the Escherichia coli O157...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a human pathogen that was first identified from a foodborne outbreak in 1982, and in the 25 years that followed, many new strains were identified and emerged in numerous outbreaks of human disease. Extensive research has been conducted to identify virulence factor genes involved in the pathogenesis of E. coli O157:H7 and many genome sequences of E. coli O157:H7 strai...

In 2000, we surveyed microbiologists in 388 clinical laboratories, which tested an estimated 339,000 stool specimens in 1999, about laboratory methods and policies for the routine testing of stool specimens for Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Vibrio species, Yersinia entercolitica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7. The results were compared with those of similar surveys conducted in 1995 a...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from two 2006 outbreaks were compared to other O157:H7 isolates for virulence genotype, biofilm formation, and stress responses. Spinach- and lettuce-related-outbreak strains had similar pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, and all carried both stx2 and stx2c variant genes. Cooperative biofilm formation involving an E. coli O157:H7 strain an...

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) of the O157:H7 serotype is a worldwide zoonotic pathogen responsible for the majority of severe cases of human EHEC disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of E. coli O157: H7/NM in raw meat samples from two provinces of Iran. During a period from March 2010 to March 2011. Two hundred and ninety five raw meat samples were...

Verotoxin (VT)-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 was culturable on agar media after being left in water for 21 months. However, there were a number of colonies which had lost O157 O antigenicity. These colonies produced VTs, which are pathogenic to humans. These observations suggest that the immunologic methods based on O157 O antigenicity are unable to detect and isolate VT-producing E. coli ...

We determined the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in diarrheal stool samples from Nebraska by three methods: cefixime-tellurite sorbitol MacConkey (CT- SMAC) culture, enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) enzyme immunoassay, and stx1,2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fourteen (4.2%) of 335 specimens were positive by at least one method (CT-SMAC culture [6 of 14], EHEC en...

This study characterized the types of interactions between Escherichia coli O157:H7 and spinach phylloepiphytic bacteria and identified those that influence persistence of E. coli O157:H7 on edible plants. A total of 1512 phylloepiphytic bacterial isolates were screened for their ability to inhibit or to enhance the growth of E. coli O157:H7 in vitro and on spinach leaf surfaces. Fifteen differ...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important food-borne pathogen. Often E. coli O157:H7 is difficult to detect, because it is present sporadically at very low levels together with very high levels of competitor organisms which can be difficult to distinguish phenotypically. Cultural methods are time-consuming and give variable results in the detection of E. coli O157:H7. This study examined the per...

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection causes several hundred cases of food poisoning every year in Japan. In severe cases, this type of food poisoning can be fatal. In the present study, we examined the induction of HSP70 in E. coli O157:H7 cells at various temperatures and the thermotolerance of E. coli O157:H7 cells alone and in contaminated food following pre-heating. We evalu...