Development of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli "OK" and "O" antisera for detection of E. coli in diarrhoea and dysentery cases

ABSTRACT

Standard strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) were used to raise "OK" and "O" antisera in rabbits. The antisera were obtained from 06k15, 08k40, 025k+, 027k+, 078k80, 0148k+ and 0159k+ strains. Random samples of 2730 isolates of E. coli from 305 cases of adults with diarrhoea or dysentery were tested with "OK" antisera by slide agglutination and found that 96 cases showed agglutination. It was then serotyped using "O" antisera by test tube serial dilution technique and found that 33 cases showed agglutination.