Chromosomal dynamism in progeny of outbreak-related sorbitol-fermenting enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:NM.

ABSTRACT: Sorbitol-fermenting (SF) enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:NM (nonmotile) is a unique clone that causes outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. In well-defined clusters of cases, we have observed significant variability in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns which could indicate coinfection by different strains. An analysis of randomly selected progeny colonies of an outbreak strain after subcultivation demonstrated that they displayed either the cognate PFGE outbreak pattern or one of four additional patterns and were <89% similar. These profound alterations were associated with changes in the genomic position of one of two Shiga toxin 2-encoding genes (stx2) in the outbreak strain or with the loss of this gene. The two stx2 alleles in the

SUBMITTER: Bielaszewska M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1393231 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature