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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2004, p. 3535-3540, Vol. 70, No. 6
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.6.3535-3540.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Prevalence of the stx2 Gene in Coliform Populations from Aquatic Environments

Cristina García-Aljaro, Maite Muniesa, Juan Jofre, and Anicet R. Blanch*

Departament de Microbiologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Received 26 November 2003/ Accepted 3 February 2004

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains are human pathogens linked to hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The major virulence factors of these strains are Shiga toxins Stx1 and Stx2. The majority of the genes coding for these toxins are borne by bacteriophages. Free Stx2-encoding bacteriophages have been found in aquatic environments, but there is limited information about the lysogenic strains and bacteria present in the environment that are susceptible to phage infection. The aim of this work was to study the prevalence and the distribution of the stx2 gene in coliform bacteria in sewage samples of different origins. The presence of the stx2 gene was monitored every 2 weeks over a 1-year period in a municipal sewage treatment plant. A mean value of 102 genes/ml was observed without significant variation during the study period. This concentration was of the same order of magnitude in raw municipal sewage of various origins and in animal wastewater from several slaughterhouses. A total of 138 strains carrying the stx2 gene were isolated by colony hybridization. This procedure detected approximately 1 gene-carrying colony per 1,000 fecal coliform colonies in municipal sewage and around 1 gene-carrying colony per 100 fecal coliform colonies in animal wastewaters. Most of the isolates belonged to E. coli serotypes other than E. coli O157, suggesting a low prevalence of strains of this serotype carrying the stx2 gene in the wastewater studied.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departament de Microbiologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 645, 4a Planta, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. Phone: 34 934021489. Fax: 34 934110592. E-mail: ablanch{at}ub.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2004, p. 3535-3540, Vol. 70, No. 6
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.6.3535-3540.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Loukiadis, E., Kerouredan, M., Beutin, L., Oswald, E., Brugere, H. (2006). Characterization of Shiga Toxin Gene (stx)-Positive and Intimin Gene (eae)-Positive Escherichia coli Isolates from Wastewater of Slaughterhouses in France.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3245-3251 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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