Incidence of sporadic infections due to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in the population of Hamburg, north Germany.

In two studies (1982 and 1985/86), the presence of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and other enteropathogenic bacteria was investigated in 779 stool specimens from children and adults with and without diarrhoeal disease. ETEC was isolated from 2% of diseased children and 1.6% of adult patients, but also from 0.5% of asymptomatic persons. Mixed infections with two different ETEC strains or with other enteropathogenic bacteria were identified in 4 of 9 infected persons. The ETEC strains belonged to 10 different serovars, eight of which produced only heat-stable enterotoxin. One infection had been contracted in a tropical country. After Salmonella and Campylobacter, ETEC was more frequently isolated than Yersinia and Shigella; the difference of ETEC infections in diseased and asymptomatic persons was, however, not statistically significant (p greater than 0.05). Analysis of the isolated serovars suggests that most ETEC strains implicated in sporadic cases of diarrhoea in Hamburg are unrelated to those which are widely spread in the developing world.

Profuse fimbriae conferring O-inagglutinability to several strains of S. typhi-murium and S. enteritidis isolated from pasta products. Cultural, morphological, and serological experiments.

During the last 2 years several O-inagglutinable Salmonella strains were isolated from pasta products the typing of which presented great difficulties. Serological and morphological tests (by electron microscope) revealed a fimbrial antigen which was thermolabile to a certain degree. This antigen represents (in corroboration of J.P. Dugiud) a special type of fimbriae of Salmonella and is morphologically different from type 1 and typ3-2 fimbriae previously described. It is probably an abnormal mutant form of fimbriae. Morphologically characteristic are its very much finer structure of filaments (2,7 nm) (Type-1 and type-2 of fimbriae measure in the range 6-8 nm.) and the 2,7 nm) (Type-1 and type-2 of fimbriae measure in the range 6-8 nm.). and the 2,7 nm) (Tpe-1 and type-2 aof fimbriae measure in the range 6-8 nm.) and the 2,7 nm) (Tpe-1 and type-2 of fimbriae measure in the range 6-8 nm.) and the large number of filamentous appendages...