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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2004, p. 1058-1063, Vol. 42, No. 3
0095-1137/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.3.1058-1063.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Virulence Factors Are Found To Be Associated with Infantile Diarrhea in Brazil
Andresa Zamboni,1 Sandra H. Fabbricotti,1 Ulysses Fagundes-Neto,2 and Isabel C.A. Scaletsky1*
Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia and Departamento de Pediatria,1
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, 04023-062 São Paulo, SP, Brazil2
Received 30 June 2003/
Returned for modification 7 November 2003/
Accepted 1 December 2003
We have previously shown that enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an important pathogen among Brazilian infants. Most EAEC strains harbor a plasmid (pAA) from which a DNA fragment has been used as a probe (EAEC probe). To better understand the characteristics of EAEC in Brazil, 109 strains carrying and lacking the EAEC probe sequence were tested for the presence of pAA plasmid-borne and chromosomal factors. Common virulence factors of probe-positive and probe-negative isolates included the presence of the Pet, EAST-1, Shf, Irp2, ShET1/Pic, and Hly virulence markers. The presence of AggR or one other virulence factor (AAF/I, AAF/II, AAF/III, or Aap) was predominantly identified only in probe-positive strains. In EAEC probe-positive strains, the virulence marker Aap was found significantly more frequently (P = 0.023) in isolates from children with diarrhea (22%) than in isolates from controls (3%). EAST-1 and Shf were the markers most frequently detected (61%) in EAEC probe-negative strains and were found to be significantly associated with diarrhea (P = 0.003 and P = 0.020, respectively). Furthermore, our data suggest that AggR can be used as an important genetic marker for EAEC probe-positive strains.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Rua Botucatu, 862, 04023-062 São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Phone: 55-11-55764537. Fax: 55-11-55716504. E-mail:
scaletsky{at}ecb.epm.br.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2004, p. 1058-1063, Vol. 42, No. 3
0095-1137/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.3.1058-1063.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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