Shiga toxin (Stx) is a major virulence factor of Stx-producing Escherichia coli. Recently, we developed a therapeutic Stx neutralizer with 6 trisaccharides of globotriaosyl ceramide, a receptor for Stx, in its dendrimer structure (referred to as "SUPER TWIG [1]6") to function in the circulation. Here, we determined the optimal structure of SUPER TWIG for it to function in the circulation and id...

BACKGROUND Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a potentially fatal syndrome associated with the consumption of shellfish that have accumulated saxitoxin (STX). STX is produced by microscopic marine dinoflagellate algae. Little is known about the origin and spread of saxitoxin genes in these under-studied eukaryotes. Fortuitously, some freshwater cyanobacteria also produce STX, providing an i...

Shiga toxin (Stx) binds to the cell, and it is transported via endosomes and the Golgi apparatus to the endoplasmic reticulum and cytosol, where it exerts its toxic effect. We have recently shown that Stx activates the tyrosine kinase Syk, which in turn induces clathrin phosphorylation and up-regulates Stx uptake. Here, we show that toxin-induced signaling can also regulate another step in intr...

stx(2) genes from 138 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates, of which 127 were of bovine origin (58 serotypes) and 11 of human origin (one serotype; O113:H21), were subtyped. The bovine STEC isolates from Australian cattle carried ehxA and/or eaeA and predominantly possessed stx(2-EDL933) (103 of 127; 81.1%) either in combination with stx(2vhb) (32 of 127; 25.2%) or on its own ...

Twenty-seven Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains were isolated from 207 stx-positive French environmental samples. Ten of these strains were positive for stx(1), and 24 were positive for stx(2) (10 were positive for stx(2vh-a) or stx(2vh-b), 19 were positive for stx(2d), and 15 were positive for stx(2e)). One strain belonged to serotype O157:H7, and the others belonged to sero...

Shiga toxin-converting bacteriophages (Stx phages) are involved in the pathogenicity of some enteric bacteria, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7. Stx phages are released from their bacterial hosts after lytic induction and remain free in the environment. Samples were analyzed for the presence of free Stx phages by an experimental approach based on the use of real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), wh...

Shiga toxins (Stx) are commonly produced by Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 and Stx-producing Escherichia coli. However, the toxin genes have been detected in additional Shigella species. We recently reported the emergence of Stx-producing Shigella in travelers in the United States and France who had recently visited Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). In this study, we confirm this ...

Altogether, 173 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotype O157 (n = 111) and non-O157 (n = 62) isolates from 170 subjects were screened by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism for eight different stx genes. The results were compiled according to serotypes, phage types of O157, production of Stx toxin and enterohemolysin, and the presence of eae. The stx genes occurred in 11...

The stx-flanking regions of 49 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains and nine Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 strains containing either stx, stx(1), stx(2), or stx(2) variant genes, were examined. We analyzed these regions by PCR using a set of primers with one primer specific for the respective stx gene and a second primer complementary to sequences of Stx phages H-19B and 933W. We fu...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are characterized by the production of Shiga toxins (Stx) encoded by temperate bacteriophages. Stx production is linked to the induction of the phage lytic cycle. Several stx variants have been described and differentially associated with the risk of developing severe illness. The variant named stx(2g) was first identified in a STEC strain isolated ...