O157 Strains (o157 + strain)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A statistical model for unwarping of 1-D electrophoresis gels

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 22 2005
Chris Glasbey Professor
Abstract A statistical model is proposed which relates density profiles in 1-D electrophoresis gels, such as those produced by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), to databases of profiles of known genotypes. The warp in each gel lane is described by a trend that is linear in its parameters plus a first-order autoregressive process, and density differences are modelled by a mixture of two normal distributions. Maximum likelihood estimates are computed efficiently by a recursive algorithm that alternates between dynamic time warping to align individual lanes and generalised-least-squares regression to ensure that the warp is smooth between lanes. The method, illustrated using PFGE of Escherichia coli O157 strains, automatically unwarps and classifies gel lanes, and facilitates manual identification of new genotypes. [source]


Diversity of Escherichia coli O157 in a longitudinal farm study using multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis

JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008
A.M. Urdahl
Abstract Aims:, To perform a longitudinal study of the diversity of Escherichia coli O157 from a ruminant pasture/stream environment using multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA). Methods and Results:, Samples of faecal droppings from grazing ruminants and from an adjacent stream were tested longitudinally for E. coli O157 by enrichment and immunomagnetic separation (IMS). Using MLVA, 24 different profiles were identified from a total of 231 E. coli O157 isolates, of which 80 were included in a similarity analysis. Four main clusters with several subclusters were observed. Although there was close contact between sheep and cattle during the study period, E. coli O157 was surprisingly not detected from cattle faeces. Conclusions:, The cluster analysis indicated both unrelated and closely related E. coli O157 strains. The choice of loci to target in MLVA is important for the subtyping result, as loci with high diversities are essential for discriminating between closely related isolates. Significance and Impact of the Study:, There is a lack of data available on the use of MLVA to describe E. coli O157 diversity and changes over time in the animal reservoirs and the environment. Such data are needed in order to further develop MLVA as a typing method. [source]


Prevalence of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli from serotype O157 and other attaching and effacing Escherichia coli on bovine carcasses in Algeria

JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
A. Chahed
Abstract Aims:, Bovine meat is the principal source of human contamination of attaching and effacing Escherichia coli, including enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157. The aim was to study the prevalence of these strains on bovine carcasses in Algeria. Methods and Results:, Two-hundred and thirty carcasses were swabbed and analysed by classical microbiological methods for total E. coli counts and for the presence of pathogenic E. coli. The E. coli counts were high, with a 75th percentile of 444·75 CFUs cm,2. For pathogenic E. coli, more than 7% of the tested carcasses were positive for E. coli O157. Eighteen E. coli O157 strains were isolated and typed by multiplex PCR. The main isolated pathotype (78%) was eae+ stx2+ ehxA+. In addition to E. coli O157, other attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) were also detected from carcasses by colony hybridization after pre-enrichment and plating on sorbitol MacConkey agar using eae, stx1 and stx2 probes. Thirty carcasses (13%) on the 230 analysed harboured at least one colony positive for one of the tested probes. These positive carcasses were different from those positive for E. coli O157. Sixty-six colonies (2·9%) positive by colony hybridization were isolated. The majority (60·6%) of the positive strains harboured an enteropathogenic E. coli -like pathotype (eae+ stx,). Only three enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)-like (eae+ stx1+) colonies were isolated from the same carcass. These strains did not belong to classical EHEC serotypes. Conclusions:, In this study, the global hygiene of the slaughterhouse was low, as indicated by the high level of E. coli count. The prevalence of both E. coli O157 and other AEEC was also high, representing a real hazard for consumers. Significance and Impact of the Study:, This is the first study of this type in Algeria, which indicates that the general hygiene of the slaughterhouse must be improved. [source]


The affinity of the FimH fimbrial adhesin is receptor-driven and quasi-independent of Escherichia coli pathotypes

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
Julie Bouckaert
Summary Type-1 fimbriae are important virulence factors for the establishment of Escherichia coli urinary tract infections. Bacterial adhesion to the high-mannosylated uroplakin Ia glycoprotein receptors of bladder epithelium is mediated by the FimH adhesin. Previous studies have attributed differences in mannose-sensitive adhesion phenotypes between faecal and uropathogenic E. coli to sequence variation in the FimH receptor-binding domain. We find that FimH variants from uropathogenic, faecal and enterohaemorrhagic isolates express the same specificities and affinities for high-mannose structures. The only exceptions are FimHs from O157 strains that carry a mutation (Asn135Lys) in the mannose-binding pocket that abolishes all binding. A high-mannose microarray shows that all substructures are bound by FimH and that the largest oligomannose is not necessarily the best binder. Affinity measurements demonstrate a strong preference towards oligomannosides exposing Man,1-3Man at their non-reducing end. Binding is further enhanced by the ,1-4-linkage to GlcNAc, where binding is 100-fold better than that of ,- d -mannose. Man,1-3Man,1-4GlcNAc, a major oligosaccharide present in the urine of ,-mannosidosis patients, thus constitutes a well-defined FimH epitope. Differences in affinities for high-mannose structures are at least 10-fold larger than differences in numbers of adherent bacteria between faecal and uropathogenic strains. Our results imply that the carbohydrate expression profile of targeted host tissues and of natural inhibitors in urine, such as Tamm-Horsfall protein, are stronger determinants of adhesion than FimH variation. [source]