One hundred and ten clinical Escherichia coli isolates of serovar O157 (n = 102) and O26 (n = 8) were characterized for the presence of putative virulence genes by PCR. All but one of these isolates contained the eae gene. The EHEC-hly gene could be detected in all E. coli O157 and in 50% of E. coli O26 isolates. Forty-five (40.9%) of the 110 E. coli were positive for both stx(1) and stx(2) gen...

There is considerable heterogeneity among the Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2) toxins elaborated by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). One such Stx2 variant, the Stx2d mucus-activatable toxin (Stx2dact), is rendered more toxic by the action of elastase present in intestinal mucus, which cleaves the last two amino acids of the A2 portion of the toxin A subunit. We screened 153 STEC isolates...

A total of 514 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates from diarrheic and healthy cattle in Spain were characterized in this study. PCR showed that 101 (20%) isolates carried stx(1) genes, 278 (54%) possessed stx(2) genes, and 135 (26%) possessed both stx(1) and stx(2). Enterohemolysin (ehxA) and intimin (eae) virulence genes were detected in 326 (63%) and in 151 (29%) of the iso...

Shiga toxin (Stx) binding sites in porcine tissues and leukocytes were identified by the use of Stx overlay and anti-CD77/Gb3 immunoassays. Stx1 and Stx2 bound to similar tissue locations and leukocytes, although some differences were noted. Previously unreported Stx binding sites were identified in kidney tubules, intestinal lymphoid aggregates, sinusoidal liver cells, alveolar macrophages, an...

Stx bacteriophages in 68 samples of beef and salad were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Stx phages from the samples were propagated in Escherichia coli C600, E. coli O157:H7, and Shigella strains and further quantified. Fifty percent of the samples carried infectious Stx phages that were isolated from plaques generated by lysis.

Fecal swabs obtained from 1,300 healthy lambs in 93 flocks in Spain in 1997 were examined for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). STEC O157:H7 strains were isolated from 5 (0.4%) animals in 4 flocks, and non-O157 STEC strains were isolated from 462 (36%) lambs in 63 flocks. A total of 384 ovine STEC strains were characterized in this study. PCR showed that 213 (55%) strains carried t...

Syntaxin (STX) is a N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein that binds to the plasma membrane and regulates ion channels and neurotransmitter transporters. Experiments have established the involvement of the N-terminal segment of STX in direct protein-protein interactions and have suggested a critical role for the phosphorylation of serine 14 (S14) by casei...

background and objectives: shiga toxin-producing escherichia coli (stec) have emerged as human pathogens and con- tamination via animal origin has been a major public health concern. we compared the distribution of phylogenetic groups and prevalence of stx gene variants among the pathogenic strains of escherichia coli isolated from feces of diarrheatic calves in tehran suburb farms. materials a...

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) harbouring the stx(2d-activatable) gene and expressing the mucus- and elastase-activatable phenotype have been associated with severe outcomes of human disease. However, there is limited data available on the occurrence of such strains in livestock reservoirs. In this study, we analyzed 11 STEC strains isolated from healthy cattle and sheep at slaug...

The present study was conducted to detect the occurrence, serotype, genotype, phylogenetic relationship and antimicrobial resistance pattern of STEC from healthy goats of West Bengal, India. From the 125 faecal samples collected from healthy goats, 245 isolates were identified as Escherichia coli. The E. coli harbouring any gene for Shiga toxins (stx 1/stx 2) was detected in 36 (14.7%) of the 2...