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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 1999, p. 778-781, Vol. 37, No. 3
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Clonal Diversity of Chilean Isolates of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli from Patients with Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome, Asymptomatic Subjects, Animal Reservoirs, and Food Products

Maritza Rios,1 Valeria Prado,1,* Michele Trucksis,2 Carolina Arellano,1 Consuelo Borie,3 Marcela Alexandre,4 Alberto Fica,1 and Myron M. Levine2

Programa de Microbiología y Micología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile,1 Laboratorio de Microbiología, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile,3 and Servicio de Salud Metropolitano del Ambiente,4 Santiago, Chile, and Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 212012

Received 8 June 1998/Returned for modification 24 July 1998/Accepted 21 October 1998

To determine clonal relationship among Chilean enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains from different sources (clinical infections, animal reservoirs, and food), 54 EHEC isolates (44 of E. coli O157, 5 of E. coli O111, and 5 of E. coli O26) were characterized for virulence genes by colony blot hybridization and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). By colony blotting, 12 different genotypes were identified among the 44 E. coli O157 isolates analyzed, of which the genetic profile stx1+ stx2+ hly+ eae+ was the most prevalent. All human O157 strains that were associated with sporadic cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) carried both the stx1 and stx2 toxin-encoding genes and were eaeA positive. Only 9 of 13 isolates from human controls were stx1+ stx2+, and 8 carried the eaeA gene. Comparison of profiles obtained by PFGE of XbaI-digested genomic DNA showed a great diversity among the E. coli O157 isolates, with 37 different profiles among 39 isolates analyzed. Cluster analysis of PFGE profiles showed a wide distribution of clinical isolates obtained from HUS cases and asymptomatic individuals and a clonal relationship among O157 isolates obtained from HUS cases and pigs. Analysis of virulence genes showed that a correlation exists among strains with the genotype stx1+ stx2+ eae+ and pathogenic potential. A larger difference in the PFGE restriction patterns was observed among the EHEC strains of serogroups O26 and O111. These results indicate that several different EHEC clones circulate in Chile and suggest that pigs are an important animal reservoir for human infections by EHEC. Guidelines have been proposed for better practices in the slaughter of animals in Chile.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Programa Microbiología y Micología, ICBM, Facultad Medicina-Oriente, Universidad de Chile, Avenida Condell 303, Santiago, Chile. Phone or Fax: 562-2045460. E-mail: vprado{at}machi.med.uchile.cl.


Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 1999, p. 778-781, Vol. 37, No. 3
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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