Origin and characteristics of enteroinvasive strains of Escherichia coli (EIEC) isolated in Germany.

Thirty-five E. coli strains belonging to O-serogroups with enteroinvasive types of Escherichia coli (EIEC) isolated in Germany between 1989 and 1995 were investigated for invasivity-associated DNA sequences. Only 11 strains were positive for ipaH and thus confirmed as EIEC. All 11 EIEC isolates originated from human infections which were imported to Germany from Eastern Europe. EIEC O124 were most frequent and originated from asymptomatic Romanians arriving at Rostock, Germany in 1992 and 1993. In January 1993, EIEC O124 were isolated from faeces of a laboratory technician with diarrhoea working at the enteric pathogen department of the Institute of Hygiene in Rostock. By comparing her E. coli O124 isolate with recently imported O124 strains for Xba I restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) the probable source of infection could be determined. Four major RFLP patterns were found in the group of O124 strains. O124 strains with identical RFLP patterns were found in the group of 0124 strains. 0124 strains with identical RFLP patterns were isolated from people who were in close contact to each other.

[Description of Salmonella contamination of industrially made pizza products]. / Beschreibung einer Salmonellen-Kontamination von industriemässig hergestellten Pizzaerzeugnissen.

Based on a impurity of industrial made pizza products with Salmonella it was checked to what extent the preparation instructions given by the producer are connected with a hygienic risk for the consumers. It can be declared that the producer didn't deal with its duty for exactness and that the made controls were insufficient.

[O- and H-antigens of Escherichia coli K5 isolates in the urine]. / O- und H-Antigene von Escherichia coli-K5-Isolaten aus Urin.

88 E. coli-K5-strains identified by a K5-phage were serotyped with regard to O- and H-antigens and 19 different O:K5:H-serotypes were registered. Further 11 isolates were rough strains and 2 other strains could not be O-typed. The following frequency of O:K:H-serotypes (number) was determined: O75:K5:H- (21), O18:K5:H- (11), O6:K5:H1 (9), and O18:K5:H1 (6). Seven other O:K:H-serotypes were detected once only. The results of typing are different in dependence of the geographic area and the time of isolation, respectively.

[The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Aeromonas and Vibrio species in river water]. / Untersuchungen zum Vorkommen von antibiotikaresistenten Aeromonas- und Vibriostämmen in Flusswasser.

262 samples of river water had been analysed for the occurrence of antibiotic resistant Aeromonas and Vibrio strains. The bacteria were cultured on selective media containing the antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents oxytetracycline, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, ampicillin, kanamycin, gentamycin or trimethoprim. Although it was not possible to identify antibiotic resistant bacteria of the genus Vibrio, resistant strains of Aeromonas hydrophila with a wide variety of resistance patterns could be cultured in many cases. R plasmids were found by means of conjugation in 21.2% of the 826 tested Aeromonas hydrophila strains. They were characterized with the aid of the fin- and pili test. The majority of the R plasmids were fin-negative, and the sex pili could be assigned strikingly often to sex pilus group C with the phages we used. 15 strains of Aeromonas hydrophila had been tested in agarose gel electrophoresis on plasmid DNA. In 11 Aeromonas hydrophila strains with transferable and in 3 from 4 strains with non transferable multiple antibiotic resistance plasmid DNA with 100 Megadalton had been found.

[A food-borne infection caused by Campylobacter jejuni serotype Lauwers 19]. / Eine Lebensmittelinfektion, verursacht durch Campylobacter jejuni Serotyp Lauwers 19.

Report on a outbreak due to contaminated food involving 556 schoolchildren who got their lunch from a school kitchen. The outbreak occurred abruptly without any secondary infectious. Examinations for Salmonellae, Shigellae, Enteritis-coli, Yersiniae and Rotaviruses were negative. However, Campylobacter jejuni were isolated from 105 specimens of faeces in Rostock. Sixty of these strains and another 2 that had been isolated at the same time but had no relation to the outbreak in Rostock, were further differentiated in Berlin-Buch. All of them proved to be Campylobacter jejuni biotype 2. Serotyping according to Lauwers revealed that 58 out of the 60 strains isolated belong to serotype 19. One of the two remaining strains could not be typed, the other was identified as serotype 1. One of the two cultivated strains that were not related to the outbreak in Rostock, was untypable, the other being of serotype 2. Therefore it can be assumed that the outbreak came from the same source of infection. Epidemiological investigations pointed to some food which had been served 6 days prior to the outbreak. The meal had consisted of white cabbage stew with beef. The kitchen supplies the cooked food to several institutions; 3 different dishes being prepared each day, referred to as dish, A, B and C. The institutions receiving dish A - which on November 1, 1985 was the above-mentioned white cabbage stew - actually included several classes of a school as well as a kindergarten. On that particular day however the kindergarten had not been supplied with dish A but, as an exception, with dish B.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Escherichia coli O151:K-:h10 ("krim") as etiologic agent of diarrhoea (author's transl)]. / Escherichia coli O 151:k-:h10 ("KRIM") als Erreger von Darminfektionen.

The first time infections by Escherichia coli O 151:K-:H10 were reported from Japan and the Soviet Union. 1972 it was included into the international antigenic scheme. Since 1976 these germs were occasionally demonstrated in sporadically occurred acute enteritis in th G.D.R. In autumn 1979 60 E. coli O 151 strains were isolated from accumulating cases of gastroenteritis in the Rostock district. These infections mainly concerned young children, but also adults. Microbiological properties of 87 isolates of this serogroup are described. Biological examination of these strains did not result in symptoms for invasive activity or enterotoxin production. An indirect reference to the existence of fimbrial antigens could be obtained by the Evans' method of direct hemagglutination. A corresponding hemagglutination pattern was found out in 60 E. coli O 151 strains tested: mannoseresistent hemagglutination of bovine and chicken erythrocytes. Hemagglutination pattern, association of these strains with enteritis and antigenic relations of Salmonellae motivated the recommendation to integrate these germs into the group of facultatively enteropathogenic Escherichiae coli described by Czirók and Evans. E. coli O 151 strains show biochemical particularities which can be useful for identification of these strains.