Preparation and evaluation of reference of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli strains and genomic DNA / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Objective To screen enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli(EHEC) strain and declare it as a standard strain of China Medical Bacterial Species Conservation and Management Center(CMCC).On the base,to prepare strain reference and genomic DNA reference of EHECand declare them as national drug reference with independent intellectual property rights in our country.Methods According to GB4789.6-2016 National Food Safety Standards-Food Microbiology TestDiarrheagenic Escherichia coil Test,the EHEC strain was screened from 160 Escherichia coli strains from patients with diarrhea and declared as a standard strain of CMCC according to management regulations.EHEC bacterial solution and genomic DNA solution were prepared,and freeze-drying technology was used to prepare 600 strain(10~3 CFU/sample) and genomic DNA(20 ng/sample) samples respectively.20 strain and 20 genomic DNA samples were randomly selected for uniformity test.Samples storing at 25 ℃ and 37 ℃ for 1,3,5 and 7 d were taken respectively to test the transportation stability.Then the samples were tested for the short-term storage stability by storing at 4 ℃ for 7,14 and 28 d,and for the long-term storage stability by storing at 20 ℃ for 14,28 and 60 d.Three laboratories were organized for collaborative calibration.20 food products were chosen as the substrate to evaluate the application effect of strain samples.Results The one EHEC strain selected from 160 Escherichia coli strains from patients was finally declared as the CMCC(B) 43207standard strain.In the uniformity test,F_(strainsample)=0.662 0.05,and eae,stxl and stx2 of 20genomic samples were all positive.After storage at 25 and 37 ℃ for 7 d,-20 ℃ for 60 d and 4 ℃ for 28 d,the viable bacteria content of the strain samples was still 103 CFU/sample,and eae,stxl and stx2 of the genomic samples were positive.EHEC strains and genomic DNA samples selected randomly were identified as EHEC by three laboratories,the viable bacteria content was 10~3 CFU/sample,and eae, stxl and stx2 were all positive.It was detected in 20 kinds of food substrates after adding samples,but not in the background control.EHEC strain and the genomic DNA sample were included in drug standard materials in our country,numbered 80024 and 80056,respectively.Conclusion The prepared EHEC strain and genomic DNA standard materials with independent intellectual property rights can improve the timeliness of EHEC testing and make up for the gap in our country.

An enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli outbreak spread through the environment at an institute for people with intellectual disabilities in Japan in 2005

Objective@#An enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) outbreak at an institute with multiple facilities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities was investigated to characterize the cases and identify risk factors for infection.@*Methods@#A case was defined as a resident, a staff member or a visitor at the institute from 16 May through 30 June 2005 testing positive for type 2 Vero toxin-producing EHEC O157:H7 (confirmed case) or exhibiting bloody diarrhoea for two or more days (probable case). We collected and analysed demographic, clinical, laboratory and individual behaviour data to identify possible risk factors for infection and infection routes.@*Results@#We recorded 58 confirmed cases, of which 13 were symptomatic. One probable case was also found. The median age of the patients was 37 years (range: 6–59 years). Thirty-six patients (61%) were male. Thirteen patients (93%) had diarrhoea and six (43%) had abdominal pain. Two developed haemolytic-uraemic syndrome but recovered. All the patients were treated with antibiotics and tested negative after treatment. Some residents had problems with personal hygiene. The residents of one of the facilities who cleaned a particular restroom had 18.0 times higher odds of being infected with EHEC (95% confidence interval: 4.0–102.4) than those who did not.@*Discussion@#The source of the outbreak could not be identified; however, the infection may have spread through environmental sources contaminated with EHEC. We recommend that institutional settings, particularly those that accommodate people with intellectual disabilities, clean restrooms as often as possible to reduce possible infection from contact with infected surfaces.

Prokaryotic expression of Tir gene of enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli / 实用医学杂志

Objective To identify the immune activity of the recombinant protein Preli minarily after expressing Tir C-ter minal of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli(EHEC) in E.coli BL21/DE3 efficiently. Methods Tir C-ter minal (marked as Tir-C)was amplified by PCR considering the result of Bioinformatics analysis of Tir. The recombinant plasmid(designed as PET-30a(+)-Tir-C)was identified by PCR,sequencing and digested by restriction endonucleases. The positive recombinants were transformed into E.coli BL21/DE3 and induced by IPTG to express the Tir-C. The Tir-C protein was detected by SDS-PAGE and identify the antigenic of the recombinant protein Preli minarily by Western blot. Results The 675bp DNA was gained. The plasmid PET-30a (+)-Tir-C was built. Tir-C was expressed mainly in supernatant of lysis and was purified by Ni+affinity chromatograghy. Concentration of the purified protein is about 500 μg/mL and a unique band was detected with the relative molecular mass of approximately 24KDa by Western blot. Conclusion The recombinant Tir-C was expressed successfully and had immunoreactivity to some extent, which deserves the investigations for vaccine against EHEC.

Cellulose Derivatives as Thermoresponsive Polymer: An Overview.

Cellulose is a linear homopolymer polysaccharide having water insoluble property. Various cellulose derivative prepared by etherification gains water solubility and shows thermoresponsive gelation. Thermoresponsive polymers are sensitive to thermal environment surrounding them and in response to it they show change in their property. Thermogelation behaviour of cellulose derivatives varies with degree and type of substitution. The main aim behind presenting this article is to summarize the thermosensitive property and application of various cellulose derivatives. This review stresses mainly on cellulose derivatives, methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and ethyl (hydroxyethyl) cellulose.

The combination characteristics of EHEC O157 ∶H7 intimin and it's mutant intiminN916Y with translocated intimin receptor / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To analyze the combination characteristics between Tir-IBD( intimin binding domain) and its ligand intimin or mutant intiminN916Y of EHEC O157 ∶H7.Methods The gene of TirIBD (tir-ibd) from EHEC O157 ∶H7 chromosome was cloned into pMD18-T vector.Thereafter,the amplified gene was cloned into prokaryotic expression plasmid pET-21 a (+).The recombinant pasmid pET-21 a( +)-tir-ibd was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3).After inducement,the protein Tir-IBD was successfully expressed and analyzed with SDS-PAGE and Western blot.It was purified by affinity chromatography and ionexchange chromatography and was coupled on the Ni-NTA chip of BIACore 3000.Then the ligand intimin and mutant intiminN916Y were flow through the chip and their combination characteristics were detected.Results In the present study,the gene of Tir-IBD(tir-ibd) was successfully cloned into pET-21a(+).The results of SDS-PAGE and Western blot assay showed that the protein was successfully expressed,which accounts for 15％ of total expression products,and its molecular weight was about 10×103.The purity was above 95％ after purification.After coupled on the Ni-NTA chip of BIACore 3000,their combination characteristics with ligand intimin and mutant intiminN916Y were successfully detected.The equilibrium binding constants Ka was obtained by fitting the data with the BIACore evaluation program ( Version 4.1 ).The result showed that the combination characteristics between Tir-IBD and intimin have some difference compared with that of mutant intiminN916Y and the difference is temperature dependent.Conclusion Tir-IBD of EHEC O157 ∶H7 was successfully constructed and purified.The method to analyze the combination characteristics between Tir-IBD and its ligand intimin or mutant was established.The combination characteristics between Tir-IBD and intimin or mutant intiminN916Y have some temperature dependent difference and the mutated amino acids residue is crucial for their receptor-ligand binding.

Entero-Aggregative- Haemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EAHEC) Serotype O104:H4 -The Evolving "Superbug".

The rare, E.coli strain O104:H4 has been identified as the causative agent of one of the largest ever reported food-borneoutbreaks of gastroenteritis and Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) in Germany this year. This hypervirulent pathotype possess a unique combination of two pathogens: enterohemorrhagicE.coli (EHEC) and enteroaggregative E.coli (EAEC) strains. The serotype has rarely been described previously in humans and never associated with any earlier large scale EHEC outbreaks. It is now being referred to as the Entero-Aggregative-Haemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EAHEC).Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies helped in rapid complete genome sequencing of the outbreak strains by different laboratories.Comparison of the genome sequence of the outbreak strain with other diarrhea-associated EAEC serotype O104:H4 indicate that the chromosome of the outbreak strain is most similar to that of an early isolated EAEC strain 55989 and has evolved to become more virulent by the acquisition of a Shiga toxin 2 encoding prophage, a plasmid encoding CTX-M beta-lactamases, and substituting the aggregative adherence fimbria III (AAF/III)with the rarer aggregative adherence fimbria I (AAF/I). The present article reviews the virulent traits ofthe outbreak strain, and also presents an update of the different intervention strategies that are being tested for the treatment of infections by such highly pathogenic strains.

Avaliação da interação de Escherichia coli enterohemorrágica (EHEC) pertencente ao sorotipo O157: H7 isoladas de bovinos assintomáticos e de doença humana com células enterocíticas humanas (linhagem Caco-2) / Evaluation of interaction of Enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) 0157: H7 isolated from asymptomatic cattle and human disease with human enterocitic cells

Reconhecida como agente de doença humana em 1982, E.coli enterohemorrágica (EHEC) pode causar diarréia sanguinolenta, colite hemorrágica e síndrome hemolítica urêmica (SHU). EHEC constitui um subgrupo especialmente virulento das E.coli produtoras de toxina de Shiga (Stx). O fator crítico da sua virulência é a toxina Shiga, capaz de interromper a síntese proteica da célula eucariótica. São conhecidos dois subgrupos de Stx, Stx1 e Stx2. Stx1 possui duas variantes Stx1c e Stx1d. Stx2 possui muitas variantes. Estudos epidemiológicos sugerem que cepas com os perfis toxigênicos Stx2 ou Stx2/Stx2c seriam mais frequentemente associadas a pacientes com SHU. Além da expressão de Stx, EHEC do sorotipo O157:H7 colonizam a mucosa intestinal induzindo a formação de lesões denominadas ‘attaching/effacing’ (A/E). Para a produção da lesão A/E, é necessária a presença de uma ilha de patogenicidade cromossômica denominada LEE, composta por cinco operons, LEE 1 a LEE5. Em LEE 5 são codificadas a adesina intimina e o seu receptor Tir, o qual é translocado por um sistema de secreção tipo III (SSTT) e em LEE 4 são codificadas as proteínas secretadas EspA,B e D. Em EHEC O157:H7 são descritos muitos fatores de virulência, codificados em ilhas de patogenicidade, no cromossomo e no megaplasmídio pO157. Bovinos são o principal reservatório deste patógeno e alimentos de origem bovina e produtos contaminados com fezes de bovinos são causadores de surtos epidêmicos. Em nosso país EHEC O157:H7 é isolada do reservatório animal mas é muito rara a sua ocorrência em doença humana. Notamos que nas cepas bovinas predomina Stx2c, enquanto nas cepas humanas predomina o perfil toxigenico Stx2/Stx2c...

Recognized in 1982 as a human pathogen, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). EHEC belonging to serotype O157:H7 are mostly important in North America, United Kingdom and Japan. Shiga toxin (Stx) is the critical factor of STEC. Stx is capable to interrupt the protein synthesis of the eukaryotic cell. Two subgroups of Stx are known, Stx1 and Stx2. Two variants of Stx1 are known (Stx1c and Stx1d), but several Stx2 variants have been described. Epidemiological studies suggest that STEC/EHEC strains carrying the toxigenic profiles Stx2 or Stx2/Stx2c are more frequently associated to HUS. Besides the expression of Stx, EHEC O157:H7 colonize the intestinal mucosa inducing the formation of characteristic histopathological lesions denominated “attaching/effacing” (A/E). To the production of A/E lesions, it is necessary the presence of a pathogenicity island called LEE (locus of enterocyte effacement), composed by five operons, LEE 1 to LEE5. An outer membrane adhesin (intimin) and its receptor Tir, which is translocated by a type three secretion sytem (TTSS), are both codified in LEE5 while the secreted proteins EspA, B and D, that constitute part of the SSTT, are codified in LEE4. Cattle are the main reservoir of this pathogen and foods of bovine origin and products contamined with bovine feces are common causes of epidemic outbreaks. In Brazil, EHEC O157:H7 can be isolated from the animal reservoir . Stx2c prevails among the bovine strains, while the toxigenic profiles Stx2 or Stx2/Stx2c are found among the human strains...

Expression, purification and effect of different immunization approaches of Tir from EHEC O157:H7 / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To clone and express translocation intimin receptor(Tir)of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli(EHEC)O157:H7,and to analyze the effect of different routes on the induction of immunity to the recombinant protein.Methods The tir eucoding genes were amplified from EHEC O157:H7 strain guangzhou 246 genome,and genes were cloned into the vector pET-30a(+).The pET-30a(+)tir recombinant was transformed into E.coli BL21.and expression was induced bv IPTG.The expressed product was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and purified by Ni-IDA affinity chromatography.The immunized mice sera and fecal against the recombinant protein was detected.Resuits The length of the tir is 1677 bp,with the initiation codon ATG and the termination codon TAA.Double enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing confirmed that the recombinant expression plasmid pET-30a(+)-tir was constructed.The recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli expression system,and was purified by Ni-IDA affinity chromatography.The mice were able to produce a high serum IgG antibody titer after both subeutaneous and intranasal immunizations.Meanwhile,the intranasal immunization induced serum and fecal IgA antibody titer was significantly higher than that of the subcutaneous immunization group.Conclusion Tir molecule is potential vaccine candidate for preventing EHEC disease.

Antibody responses elicited in mice immunized with Bacillus subtilis vaccine strains expressing Stx2B subunit of enterohaemorragic Escherichia coli O157: H7 / Resposta de anticorpos obtidas em camundongos imunizados com linhagens vacinais de Bacillus subtilis expressando a subunidade B da Stx2 de Escherichia coli O157: H7 enterohemorrágica

No effective vaccine or immunotherapy is presently available for patients with the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) induced by Shiga-like toxin (Stx) producedbyenterohaemorragic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains, such as those belonging to the O157:H7 serotype. In this work we evaluated the performance of Bacillus subtilis strains, a harmless spore former gram-positive bacterium species, as a vaccine vehicle for the expression of Stx2B subunit (Stx2B). A recombinant B. subtilis vaccine strain expressing Stx2B under the control of a stress inducible promoter was delivered to BALB/c mice via oral, nasal or subcutaneous routes using both vegetative cells and spores. Mice immunized with vegetative cells by the oral route developed low but specific anti-Stx2B serum IgG and fecal IgA responses while mice immunized with recombinant spores developed anti-Stx2B responses only after administration via the parenteral route. Nonetheless, serum anti-Stx2B antibodies raised in mice immunized with the recombinant B. subtilis strain did not inhibit the toxic effects of the native toxin, both under in vitro and in vivo conditions, suggesting that either the quantity or the quality of the induced immune response did not support an effective neutralization of Stx2 produced by EHEC strains.

Até o presente o momento, não há vacina ou imunoterapia disponível para pacientes com Síndrome Hemolítica Urêmica (SHU) induzida pela toxina Shiga-like (Stx) produzida por linhagens de Escherichia coli entero-hemorragica (EHEC), tais como as pertencentes ao sorotipo O157:H7. Neste trabalho, avaliamos a performance de Bacillus subtilis, uma espécie bacteriana gram-positiva não-patogênica formadora de esporos, como veículo vacinal para a expressão da subunidade B da Stx2B (Stx2B). Uma linhagem vacinal recombinante de B. subtilis expressando Stx2B, sob o controle de um promoter induzível por estresse, foi administrada a camundongos BALB/c por via oral, nasal ou subcutânea usando células vegetativas e esporos. Camundongos imunizados com células vegetativas e esporos pela via oral desenvolveram títulos anti-Stx2B baixos, mas específicos, de IgG sérico e IgA fecal, enquanto camundongos imunizados com esporos recombinates desenvolveram resposta anti-Stx2B apenas após a administração pela via parenteral. No entanto, anticorpos produzidos em camundongos imunizados com a linhagem recombinante de B. subtilis não inibiram os efeitos tóxicos da toxina nativa em condições in vitro e in vivo, sugerindo que a quantidade e/ou a qualidade da resposta imune gerada não suportam uma neutralização efetiva da Stx2 produzidas por linhagens de EHEC.

Recombinant expression and biological activities of fusion protein EspA-Stx2B from enterohemorrhagic E. coil O157:H7 / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To clone the gene encoding protein of EspA and Stx2B from EHEC OI57:H7 by DNA recombinant technology, construct prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a ( + )-espAstx2B, express fusion protein of EspA-Stx2B and to analyze the biological and immunological characteristics of the fusion protein. Methods the sequence encoding the protein of EspA and Stx2B was amplified by PCR from the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli strain. The amplified products were connected with linker by recombinant technology and cloned into pET-28a( + ) vector. The vector was then transferred to the host cells E. Coli BL21 strain (DE3). Following, the protein expression was induced by IPTG. The expression quantities and style of fusion protein was then determined by SDS-PAGE. Its immunoreactivity was analyzed by Western blot. Finally, BALB/c mice were injected with the preliminarily purified recombination protein EspA-Stx2B, then oral challenged these mice with EHEC O157-SMR2 and counteracted toxic substances with O157 ultrasonic supernatant. Results The determination of the sequence encoding of the espA-stx2B fusion gene has 100% of consistency with the sequence from GenBank Sakai strain and contrivable linker. This fusion protein EspA-Stx2B was expressed as inclusion body formation and the percentage is approximately 40%. Western blot suggested the fusion protein has excellent immunoreactivity. Titer of antiserum of the mice to EspA-Stx2B increased evidently. EspA-Stx2B could not decrease bacterial number attached to the intestinal tract of mice based on fecal shedding of Oi57 in mice. In the test of death of BAI,B/c causing by conteracting toxic substances with O157 ultrasonic supernatant, immunoprotection of EspA-Stx2B rate was 66.7%. Conclusion A recombinant plasmid that has high performance on expression of EspA-Stx2B prorein was successfully constructed in present study, and the fusion protein has excellent immunoreactivity and immunogenicity. EspA-Stx2B could not decrease bacteria] number attached to the intestinal tract of mice based on fecal shedding of O157 in mice, but evidently decrease the mortality rate of the mice. The antiEspA and anti-Stx2B had immunoprotection effect by different means. These results may provide the foundation for the further development on EHEC O157:H7 double subunit vaccine.

Anticorpos anti-intimina: análise da reatividade dos anticorpos policlonal e monoclonal, clonagem e expressão do fragmento variável de cadeia simples (scFv) do anticorpo monoclonal / Anti-intimin antibodies: polyclonal and monoclonal reactivity analyzes, cloning and expression of single chain fragment variable (scFv) of monoclonal antibodies

Intimina é o principal fator de virulência na patogênese de Escherichia coli enteropatogênica (EPEC) e de Escherichia coli enterohemorrágica (EHEC). A detecçãode EHEC e EPEC típica ou atípica é de fundamental impotância na definição da conduta terapêutica das infecções promovidas por E. coli, que ainda são a principal causa de diarreia aguda em crianças e adultos em muitos paises desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento. Anticorpos são ferramentas importantes na detecção de diversos patógenos. Neste trabalho avaliou-se a sensibilidade e especificidade dos anticorpos policlonal e monoclonal anti-intimina frente a isolados de EPEC e EHEC por immunoblotting. Os anticorpos apresentam 100% de especificidade e a sensibilidade foi de 97%, 92% e 78%, quando se utilizou a fração enriquecida em IgG do soro de coelho, antissoro de rato e anticorpo monoclonal, respectivamente. Esse anticorpo monoclonal anti-intimina foi caracterizado como IgG2b e 1 μg desse corpo reconheceu 0,6 μg de intimina purificada com uma constante de dissociação de 1.3 x 10&sup-8; M. A menor reatividade do anticorpo monoclonal em relação aos anticorpos policlonais levou-nos à clonagem e expressão do fragmento variável de cadeia simples desse anticorpo (scFv). Para isto, o mRNA do hibridoma anti-intimina foi extraído, reversamente transcrito para cDNA e amplicadas as cadeias leve e pesada da fração variável do anticorpo, utilizando iniciadores aleatórios comerciais. As cadeias amplificadas foram ligadas ao vetor pGEM-T Easy e sequenciadas. Iniciadores específicos foram desenhados e utilizados em uma estratégia de amplificação e união das cadeias, formando o scFv, que por sua vez foi clonado no vetor de expressao pAE. Linhagem E. coli BL 21(DE3)pLys foi transformada com o plasmídeo pAE-scFv anti-intimina e submetida a indução proteíca. O scFv anti-intimina foi expresso de forma insolúvel, solubilizado, purificado e submetido ao ensaio de refolding. O rendimento obtido foi de 1 mg de proteina por 100mL...

Intimin is the major virulence factor involved in the pathogenesis of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli(EHEC). The detection of EHEC and typical or atypical EPEC has fundamental importance in defining the therapeutic management of infections causes by E. Coli, which are still the leading cause of acute diarrhea in children and adults in many developed and developing countries. Antibodies are important tools in the detection of several pathogens. In this study it was evaluated the sensitivity and specificityit of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against intimin in the detection of EPEC AND EHEC by immunobloting. All employed antibodies showed 100% specifity and sensitivity was 97%, 92% and 78% for rabbit anti-intimin IgG-enriched fraction, rat antisera and monoclonal antibody, repectively. This anti-intimin monoclonal was characterized as IgG2b and 1 μg recognized 0.6 μg of purified intimin with a dissociation constant of 1.3 x 10&sup-8;M. The less extend reactivity of monoclonal led us to clone and express the single chain fragment variable of this antibody (scFV). Thus, the anti-intimin hybridoma mRNA was extrated, reverse transcribed to cDNA and the light and heavy chains of variable fragment of the antibody were amplified using commercial random primers. The chains were amplified, ligated to the pGEM-T Easy vector and the insert was sequenced. Specific primers were designed and used in strategy to amplify and link the chains, obtaining the scFv, wich was cloned into the pAE expression vector. E. coli BL21(DE3)plys was transformed with the pAE-scFv anti-intimin plasmid and subjected to induction to protein expression. The scFv anti-intimin, expressed in the insoluble fraction, was purified and submitted to refolding. The yield was 1 mg of protein per 100 mL of bacterial culture. To test the functionalityof scFv, ELISA and immunofluorescence assays were performed. The results showed 275 ng of scFv...

Study on BALB/c mice by immunization with genetic engineering vaccines of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coil O157:117 / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To investigate immunoprophylactic potential of genetic engineering vaccines of enterohaemorrhagie Escherichia coli O157:H7 in BALB/c mice after immunization with these vaccines. Methods Sixty BALB/c mice (3 weeks old) were randomized averagely into 5 groups. Group 1-3 were im-munized respectively with IntiminC300, Stx2B and HIyAN436, group 4 with a combination of these three vaccines, and group 5 with PBS. Each mouse was immunized with vaccine(100 μg)and Al(OH)3 adjuvant (100 μg) for 3 times. After 7 d of the second and third immunization, serum of each mouse was collected and the different antibodies were detected. After 10 d of the last immunization, all mice were given drinking water containing streptomycin for 3 d before and following oral challenge with O157:H7 (109 CFU), and treated with clinical, microbiological and pathological examination. Results The three vaccines elicited high titer antiserum, and some mice were died after infection with O157. The livability of group 1-4 was re-spectively 73%, 64%, 36% and 91%. And these vaccines depressed fecal and colon shedding with O157. Condusion IntiminC300, Stx2B and HIyAN436 have certain protective efficacy for infection of O157, and combined immunization was more effective than single vaccine.

A study on epidemiological characteristics and control methods of EHEC infection in Korea / 한국역학회지

E. coli is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless. But some strains such as Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli(EHEC), can cause severe food borne disease. It is transmitted to humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw or undercooked ground meat. There is no widely agreed definition of when a shiga-toxin producing E. coli is considered to be an EHEC. But in Korea, the word "EHEC", "STEC", "VTEC" are often used as same meaning, which refer to the E.coli those producing shiga-toxin. We suggest the term STEC refers to those E. coli produce one or more shiga-toxins(stx), and the term EHEC refers only to STEC that cause a clinical illness. EHEC infection were designated as the class 1 notifiable disease in Korea in 2000. Although EHEC/STEC cases were not common in Korea, the number of STEC infection cases reported has increased since 2001. From 2001 to 2004, the number of STEC infection cases in Korea were 11, 8, 52, 118 respectively. These cases included 17 due to E. coli O157, 136 due to E. coli, serogroup non-O157, and 15 due to E. coli that were not serogrouped. The most common serotype implicated is E. coli O91 without virulent factor and clinical symptoms. But those cases involve in one epidemic in primary school in 2004. STEC infections in Korea occur in all age groups, with the highest frequencies in children less than 5 years old. Healthy cattle are the main animal reservoir for STEC and they harbor the organism as part of the bowel flora. The proportion of STEC in E. coli in animal feces was examined by using stool samples from 283 Korean beef cattle on 27 farms, 169 milk cattle on 28 frams, 455 swine on 50 farms. As determined by culture and toxin assay, the proportion of STEC was 25.8%(16 STEC/62 E. coli) in milk cattle, 18.8%(19 STEC/101 E.coli) in Korean beef cattle, 14.0%(25 STEC/178 E. coli) in swine. Effective surveillance of EHEC/STEC in humans is essential in order to protect the public health. EHEC infection is notifiable in many countries including USA, Japan, and Belgium, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom(UK), have sentinel systems. England, Wales, and Scotland have comprehensive national laboratory reporting schemes for STEC. And there has been an increase in the number of reported cases and outbreaks during the past decades in many countries Prevention of STEC infection requires control measures at all stages of surveillace, investigations and special pathogen tracing such as PulseNet.

Clinical Significance of Escherichia coli O26 Isolated from Clinical Specimens / 대한임상미생물학회지

BACKGROUND: Non-O157 human isolates among enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) serogroup have been reported with increasing frequency in recent years; the serotype O26 is the most common among the non-O157 isolates. We performed serotyping of E. coli isolates with O157, O26, and O111 antisera at Ulsan University Hospital and identified 27 isolates of O26. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of E. coli O26 isolates. METHODS: During the 24-month period from January 2002 to December 2003, E. coli isolates were serotyped when requested by the physician because of bloody diarrhea or when blood was noted in the stool specimen at the laboratory. The isolates were identified biochemically by Vitek 1 (BioMerieux Vitek Inc., Mo., USA) and serotyped using diagnostic antisera of O157, O26, and O111 (NIH, Korea). When a positive agglutination reaction was shown, the patient's was reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of 4,921 isolates of E. coli during the 2-year period, 200 isolates were serotyped and 27 (13.5%) were identified as serotype O26. These were isolated from stool (13 isolates), urine (9), pus (1), blood (1), and bile (1). Among the 13 patients whose stool specimens grew E. coli O26, 12 had watery diarrhea and 7 bloody diarrhea; two patients had thrombocytopenia and purpura simultaneously. Two patients with watey diarrhea, two with bloody diarrhea, and one with TTP were among the 7 patients with E. coli O26 in the urine. Finally, one patient each with blood isolate and bile isolate of E. coli O26 both had acute gastroenteritis. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the patients infected with E. coli O26 had clinical manifestations consistent with EHEC infections. E. coli isolates from patients with boody diarrhea should be serotyped with O157 and O26 antisera.

Cloning and expression of Escherichia coli O157∶H7 Stx2B subunit / 医学研究生学报

Objective: To clone,identify and express the Shigalike toxin 2B(Stx2B) subunit gene of EHEC O157∶H7.Methods: A pair of primers were designed based on the Stx2B subunit gene sequence of EHEC O157∶H7.The Stx2B gene was amplified from the EHEC O157∶H7 chromosome by PCR and cloned into the pMD18-T vector.Thereafter,the gene was cut from the pMD18-T vector and cloned into the prokaryotic expression plasmid pET-28a vector.Then the recombinant plasmids were transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) and the transformed host strain induced by IPTG.The expression protein was detected by SDS-PAGE and Western-blot analyses.Results: The Stx2B gene was successfully cloned into pMD18-T and pET-28a vectors,and the expressed protein identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot.The molecular mass(Mr) of the expressed product was about 7 500,and the expression rate about 40%. Conclusion: The Stx2B gene was successfully cloned and effectively expressed in the prokaryotic expression system.

Polyclonal anti-intimin antibody: immunological characterization and its use in EPEC and EHEC diagnosis

Intimins are outer membrane proteins expressed by enteric bacterial pathogens capable of inducing intestinal attachment-and-effacement lesion (A/E). Through immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, flow citometry and immunogold we observed that the obtained polyclonal antibody against conserved intimin region recognizes the different intimin subtypes and suggests that it can be used as a tool for EPEC and EHEC detection. Besides, immuno-dot assay seems to be a possible alternative as a capture method.

EPEC e EHEC constituem um risco significativo para a saúde pública em diferentes partes do mundo. Ambas colonizam a mucosa intestinal e subvertem as funções celulares do epitélio intestinal ao produzirem uma lesão histopatológica característica, conhecida por lesão A/E (attaching-and-effacing), na qual a intimina é uma das proteínas envolvidas. A família das intiminas apresenta também uma região conservada, que compreende os aminoácidos de 388 a 667 (Int 388-667). O objetivo do presente trabalho foi a obtenção de um anticorpo policlonal contra a região conservada de intimina. A caracterização fenotípica das amostras de EPEC e EHEC utilizando este anticorpo permitiu observar-se a maneira variável que ele reconhece os diversos subtipos de intimina e sugere que ele seja uma ferramenta para detecção destes patógenos, sendo o ensaio de immuno-dot o método de captura de escolha.

Polyclonal anti-intimin antibody: immunological characterization and its use in EPEC and EHEC diagnosis

Intimins are outer membrane proteins expressed by enteric bacterial pathogens capable of inducing intestinal attachment-and-effacement lesion (A/E). Through immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, flow citometry and immunogold we observed that the obtained polyclonal antibody against conserved intimin region recognizes the different intimin subtypes and suggests that it can be used as a tool for EPEC and EHEC detection. Besides, immuno-dot assay seems to be a possible alternative as a capture method.

EPEC e EHEC constituem um risco significativo para a saúde pública em diferentes partes do mundo. Ambas colonizam a mucosa intestinal e subvertem as funções celulares do epitélio intestinal ao produzirem uma lesão histopatológica característica, conhecida por lesão A/E (attaching-and-effacing), na qual a intimina é uma das proteínas envolvidas. A família das intiminas apresenta também uma região conservada, que compreende os aminoácidos de 388 a 667 (Int 388-667). O objetivo do presente trabalho foi a obtenção de um anticorpo policlonal contra a região conservada de intimina. A caracterização fenotípica das amostras de EPEC e EHEC utilizando este anticorpo permitiu observar-se a maneira variável que ele reconhece os diversos subtipos de intimina e sugere que ele seja uma ferramenta para detecção destes patógenos, sendo o ensaio de immuno-dot o método de captura de escolha.

Cause of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Infection in Ulju County, Korea / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Two related cases of Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (HUS) were reported to the Korea National Institute of Health in May, 2001. Shiga toxin 2 genes were detected in both stool samples. We suspected an enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection as the cause of the HUS, and conducted an investigation to find the source of the infection and its route of transmission. METHODS: We performed case investigations on these two related HUS cases, and obtained interviews and rectal swabs form the family members and other close contacts. Additionally, we performed rectal swabs on the cattle raised by the household of the index patient. RESULTS: We found a 20 month old index patient and a 6 year-old cousin had developed HUS, where there had been a 2 day history of contact with the index, and bacteriological examinations for these two patients revealed, indistinguishably, the same E. coli O171. The grandmother of the index patient was found to be asymptomatic, but E. coli O26 was isolated. We also found a probable case in the mother of the cousin. She reported a history of contact with the index, and developed bloody diarrhea of 3 days duration. The test results for the cattle revealed E. coli O26 in one cow, and E. coli O26 and O55 in another. E. coli O26, which was isolated in both cows and the grandmother of the index, were indistinguishably the same. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the E. coli O26 in the grandmother had originated from the cows, and that the E. coli O171 found in the index patient had been transmitted to the cousin through person-to-person contact.