This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kahali, S.
Right arrow Articles by Ramamurthy, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kahali, S.
Right arrow Articles by Ramamurthy, T.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2004, p. 4111-4120, Vol. 42, No. 9
0095-1137/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.9.4111-4120.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Virulence Characteristics and Molecular Epidemiology of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Isolates from Hospitalized Diarrheal Patients in Kolkata, India

Soumen Kahali,1 Bhaswati Sarkar,1 K. Rajendran,1 Jasmina Khanam,2 Shinji Yamasaki,3 Ranjan K. Nandy,1 S. K. Bhattacharya,1 and T. Ramamurthy1*

National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Beliaghata,1 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India,2 Department of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan3

Received 17 February 2004/ Returned for modification 18 March 2004/ Accepted 15 April 2004

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an important diarrheal enteropathogen defined by aggregative adherence to cultured epithelial cells. We have detected EAEC from 121 (6.6%) of 1,826 hospitalized patients admitted with diarrhea to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata, India. Watery diarrhea was recorded significantly (P = 0.0142) more often in children. The majority of the EAEC isolates were not serotypeable (62%) and showed resistance to five or more antibiotics (76%). We studied different virulence genes and the molecular epidemiology of 121 EAEC isolates recovered from diarrheal patients. A PCR assay for detection of virulence genes, an assay for determination of clump formation in liquid culture, and a HeLa cell adherence assay were carried out to characterize the EAEC isolates. Investigations were also conducted to correlate the virulence gene profiles with diarrheal symptoms and molecular epidemiology by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Two or more virulence genes were detected in 109 (90.1%) EAEC isolates. In the cluster analysis, some isolates with specific gene profiles and phenotypes formed a group or subcluster. This study highlights the comparative distributions of three fimbrial adhesins and other virulence genes among EAEC isolates. The diverse virulence gene and PFGE profiles, along with the existence of diverse serotypes and antibiograms, suggests that the EAEC isolates are genetically heterogeneous in Kolkata.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, P-33, CIT Rd., Scheme XM, Beliaghata, Kolkata-700010, India. Phone: 91-33-2350-0448. Fax: 91-33-2350-5066. E-mail: tramu{at}vsnl.net.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2004, p. 4111-4120, Vol. 42, No. 9
0095-1137/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.9.4111-4120.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Regua-Mangia, A. H., Gomes, T. A. T., Vieira, M. A. M., Irino, K., Teixeira, L. M. (2009). Molecular typing and virulence of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strains isolated from children with and without diarrhoea in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil. J Med Microbiol 58: 414-422 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mendez-Arancibia, E., Vargas, M., Soto, S., Ruiz, J., Kahigwa, E., Schellenberg, D., Urassa, H., Gascon, J., Vila, J. (2008). Prevalence of Different Virulence Factors and Biofilm Production in Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Isolates Causing Diarrhea in Children in Ifakara (Tanzania). Am J Trop Med Hyg 78: 985-989 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Samie, A., Obi, C. L., Dillingham, R., Pinkerton, R. C., Guerrant, R. L. (2007). Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in Venda, South Africa: Distribution of Virulence-Related Genes by Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction in Stool Samples of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Positive and HIV-Negative Individuals and Primary School Children. Am J Trop Med Hyg 77: 142-150 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Huang, D. B., Mohanty, A., DuPont, H. L., Okhuysen, P. C., Chiang, T. (2006). A review of an emerging enteric pathogen: enteroaggregative Escherichia coli.. J Med Microbiol 55: 1303-1311 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»