Isolation and characterization of a beta-D-glucuronidase-producing strain of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 in the United States

A phenotypic variant of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 (G5101) was isolated from a patient with bloody diarrhea. Strain G5101 does not ferment sorbitol but is beta-D-glucuronidase and urease positive. Serotyping and colony hybridization using a serotype-specific DNA probe confirmed that the isolate was O157:H7. G5101 produces Shiga-like toxins I and II and contains an eae gene that is highly conserved in the O157:H7 serotype. This strain would have been missed by laboratories that screen for the sorbitol-negative, beta-D-glucuronidase-negative phenotype in isolating E. coli O157:H7 from clinical and food specimens.

[1]  P. Feng,et al.  Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7: novel vehicles of infection and emergence of phenotypic variants. , 1995, Emerging infectious diseases.

[2]  P. Griffin.  Escherichia coli O157 : H7 and other enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli , 1995 .

[3]  J. Tappero,et al.  Unraveling mysteries associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and related syndromes. , 1995, Emerging infectious diseases.

[4]  T. Whittam,et al.  Clonal relationships among Escherichia coli strains that cause hemorrhagic colitis and infantile diarrhea , 1993, Infection and immunity.

[5]  P. Feng.  Identification of Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 by DNA probe specific for an allele of uid A gene. , 1993, Molecular and cellular probes.

[6]  F. Gunzer,et al.  Molecular detection of sorbitol-fermenting Escherichia coli O157 in patients with hemolytic-uremic syndrome , 1992, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[7]  T. Urbanik-Sypniewska,et al.  Escherichia coli O 157. , 1991, CDR.

[8]  C. Lattuada,et al.  Use of 5-Bromo-4-Chloro-3-lndoxyl-β-D-Glucuronide in MacConkey Sorbitol Agar to Aid in the Isolation of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 from Ground Beef. , 1990, Journal of food protection.

[9]  J. Yu,et al.  A genetic locus of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli necessary for the production of attaching and effacing lesions on tissue culture cells. , 1990, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[10]  A. Borczyk,et al.  Rapid biochemical test to identify verocytotoxin-positive strains of Escherichia coli serotype O157 , 1990, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[11]  W. Ewing,et al.  Edwards and Ewing's Identification of Enterobacteriaceae , 1986 .

[12]  W. Ewing.  Edwards and Ewing's identification of Enterobacteriaceae. 4th edition. , 1986 .

[13]  J. Wells,et al.  Hemorrhagic colitis associated with a rare Escherichia coli serotype. , 1983, The New England journal of medicine.