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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2009, p. 6187-6197, Vol. 75, No. 19
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00874-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Analysis of Virulence Profiles and Shiga Toxin Genes in Food-Borne Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli{triangledown}

T. Slanec,1 A. Fruth,2 K. Creuzburg,1 and H. Schmidt1*

Department of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, Garbenstraße 28, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart,1 Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Burgstraße 37, 38855 Wernigerode, Germany2

Received 17 April 2009/ Accepted 2 August 2009

In this study, 75 Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains originating from foods (n = 73) and drinking water (n = 2) were analyzed for their stx genotype, as well as for further chromosome-, phage-, and plasmid-encoded virulence factors. A broad spectrum of stx genes was detected. Fifty-three strains (70.7%) contained stx2 or stx2 variants, including stx2d, mucus-activatable stx2d, stx2e, and stx2g. Seven strains (9.3%) harbored stx1 or stx1c, and 15 strains (20.0%) carried both stx2 and/or stx2 variants and stx1 or stx1c. Beside stx, the most abundant accessory virulence markers in STEC food isolates were iha (57.3%), ehxA (40.0%), espP (28.0%), and subAB (25.3%). Only four strains were eae positive; three of these belonged to the serogroups O26, O103, and O157 and contained a typical enterohemorrhagic E. coli virulence spectrum. The results of this study show that a number of STEC strains that occur in foods appear to be pathogenic for humans, based on their virulence profiles. Analysis of stx subtypes and detection of additional virulence factors in eae-negative strains may help to better assess the risk of such strains for causing human infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstraße 28, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany. Phone: 49-711-459-22305. Fax: 49-711-459-24199. E-mail: hschmidt{at}uni-hohenheim.de

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 August 2009.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2009, p. 6187-6197, Vol. 75, No. 19
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00874-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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