Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Vero cytotoxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli in children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome and diarrhoea in Czechoslovakia

Vero Cytotoxin bildende Stämme von Escherichia coli bei Kindern mit hämolytisch-urämischem Syndrom und Diarrhoe in der Tschechoslowakei

  • Originalia
  • Published:
Infection Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The presence of verotoxin-producing strains ofEscherichia coli (VTEC) was examined in six children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome and one child with haemorrhagic colitis. Stools were screened for strains of serogroup O157 on sorbitol-MacConkey agar for VTEC of other serogroups by serotyping. Verotoxin (VT) was tested on Vero cell monolayers: the antigenic variant of VT was assessed by neutralization experiments. Strains producing verotoxin 1 or verotoxin 2 or both were detected in the stools of all seven children. Three strains belonged to serogroup O157 (two of them to serotype O157:H7, one was non-motile) and another five belonged to serogroups O26 (two strains), O1, O5 and O18. The faeces of five children available for testing contained free VT. Production of VT was also examined retrospectively in 32E. coli strains of serotype O26:H11 isolated from children with diarrhoea; eight (25%) of them produced moderate to high levels of verotoxin 1 despite several years storagein vitro. In conclusion, VTEC including strains of serogroup O157 seem to be an important cause of haemolytic uraemic syndrome, haemorrhagic colitis and diarrhoea in children in Czechoslovakia.

Zusammenfassung

Bei sechs Kindern mit hämolytisch-urämischem Syndrom und einem Kind mit hämorrhagischer Kolitis wurde nach Verotoxin bildenden Stämmen vonEscherichia coli (VTEC) gesucht. Das Stuhl-Screening auf Stämme derSerogruppe O157 erfolgte auf Sorbitol-MacConkey Agar; zum Nachweis von VTEC und anderen Serogruppen wurde die Serotypisierung eingesetzt. Verotoxin (VT) wurde auf Monolayer-Verozellkulturen nachgewiesen; die Bestimmung der Antigenvariante von VT erfolgte durch Neutralisationsversuche. Bei allen sieben Kindern konnten im Stuhl Stämme nachgewiesen werden, die Verotoxin 1 oder Verotoxin 2 bildeten. Drei Stämme gehörten der Serogruppe O157 an (zwei davon Serotyp O157:H7, einer war ohne Motilität) und die übrigen fünf gehörten zu den Serogruppen O26 (zwei Stämme), O1, O5 und O18. Freies VT konnte in fünf Stühlen nachgewiesen werden; diese Untersuchung war nur bei fünf Kindern durchführbar. 32E. coli-Stämme vom Serotyp O26:H11, Isolate von Kindern mit Diarrhoe, wurden retrospektiv ebenfalls auf Bildung von VT untersucht. Davon bildeten achtin vitro (25%) noch mittel- bis hohe Spiegel von Verotoxin 1 obwohl sie schon mehrere Jahre lang gelagert waren. VTEC einschließlich der Stämme der Serogruppe O157 stellen folglich wichtige Erreger des hämolytischurämischen Syndroms, der hämorrhagischen Kolitis und anderer Formen der Diarrhoe bei Kindern in der Tschechoslowakei dar.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Konowalchuk, J., Speirs, J. I., Stavric, S. Vero response to a cytotoxin ofEscherichia coli. Infect. Immun. 18 (1977) 775–779.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Edelman, R., Karamali, M. A., Fleming, P. A. Summary of the international symposium and workshop on infections due to verocytotoxin (Shiga-like toxin)-producingEscherichia coli. J. Infect. Dis. 157 (1988) 1102–1104.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Krishnan, C., Fitzgerald, V. A., Dakin, S. J., Behme, R. J. Laboratory investigation of outbreak of hemorrhagic colitis caused by-Escherichia coli O157:H7. J. Clin. Microbiol. 25 (1987) 1043–1047.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ryan, C. A., Tauxe, R. V., Hosek, G. W., Wells, J. G., Stoesz, P. A., McFadden, H. W., Jr., Smith, P. W., Wright, G. F., Blake, P. A. Escherichia coli O157:H7 diarrhea in a nursing home: Clinical, epidemiological, and pathological findings. J. Infect. Dis. 154 (1986) 631–638.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Smith, H. R., Scotland, S. M. Vero cytotoxin-producing strains ofEscherichia coli. J. Med. Microbiol. 26 (1988) 77–85.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Wells, J. G., Davis, B. R., Wachsmuth, I. K., Riley, L. W., Remis, R. S., Sokolow, R., Morris, G. K. Laboratory investigation of hemorrhagic colitis outbreaks associated with a rareEscherichia coli serotype. J. Clin. Microbiol. 18 (1983) 512–520.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Karmali, M. A., Steele, B. T., Petric, M., Lim, C. Sporadic cases of haemolytic-uraemic syndrome associated with faecal cytotoxin and cytotoxin-producingEscherichia coli in stools. Lancet i (1983) 619–620.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Karmali, M. A., Petric, M., Lim, C., Fleming, P. C., Arbus, G. S., Lior, H. The association between idiopathic hemolytic uremic syndrome and infection by verotoxin-producingEscherichia coli. J. Infect. Dis. 151 (1985) 775–782.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Scotland, S. M., Rowe, B., Smith, H. R., Willshaw, G. A., Gross, R. J. Vero cytotoxin-producing strains ofEscherichia coli from children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome and their detection by specific DNA probes. J. Med. Microbiol. 25 (1988) 237–243.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Taylor, C. M., White, R. H. R., Winterborn, M. H., Rowe, B. Haemolytic-uraemic syndrome: clinical experience of an outbreak in the West Midlands. Br. Med. J. 292 (1986) 1513–1516.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bopp, C. A., Greene, K. D., Downes, F. P., Sowers, E. G., Wells, J. G., Wachsmuth, I. K. Unusual verotoxin-producingEscherichia coli associated with hemorrhagic colitis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 25 (1987) 1486–1489.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Karch, H., Heesemann, J., Laufs, R. Phage-associated cytotoxin production by and enteroadhesiveness of enteropathogenicEscherichia coli isolated from infants with diarrhea in West Germany. J. Infect. Dis. 155 (1987) 707–715.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Levine, M. M., Xu, J., Kater, J. B., Lior, H., Prado, V., Tall, B., Nataro, J., Karch, H., Wachsmuth, I. K. A DNA probe to identify enterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli of O157:H7 and other serotypes that cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. J. Infect. Dis. 156 (1987) 175–182.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Edelman, R., Levine, M. M. Summary of workshop on enteropathogenicEscherichia coli. J. Infect. Dis. 147 (1983) 1108–1118.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Scotland, S. M., Day, N. P., Rowe, B. Production of a cytotoxin affecting Vero cells by strains ofEscherichia coli belonging to traditional enteropathogenic serogroups. FEMS Microbiology Letters 7 (1980) 15–17.

    Google Scholar 

  16. March, S. B., Ratnam, S. Sorbitol-MacConkey medium for detection ofEscherichia coli O157:H7 associated with hemorrhagic colitis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 23 (1986) 869–872.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Edwards, P. R., Ewing, W. H. Identification of Enterobacteriaceae. Third edition. Burgess Publishing, Minneapolis 1972, pp. 67–107.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Baltrashevich, K. Determination ofEscherichia coli H antigens in semisolid agar. Journal of Microbiology, Epidemiology and Immunobiology (Moscow) 31 (1960) 48–51.

    Google Scholar 

  19. O'Brien, A. D., La Veck, G. D., Thompson, M. R., Formal, S. B. Production ofShigella dysenteriae type 1-like cytotoxin byEscherichia coli. J. Infect. Dis. 146 (1982) 763–769.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Scotland, S. M., Smith, H. R., Rowe, B. Two distinct toxins active on Vero cells fromEscherichia coli O157. Lancet ii (1985) 885–886.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Konowalchuk, J., Dickie, N., Stavric, S., Speirs, J. I. Properties of anEscherichia coli cytotoxin. Infect. Immun. 20 (1978) 575–577.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lior, H., Borczyk, A. A. False positive identification ofEscherichia coli O157. Lancet i (1987) 333.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Scotland, S. M., Willshaw, G. A., Smith, H. R., Rowe, B. Properties of strains ofEscherichia coli belonging to serogroup O157 with special reference to production of vero cytotoxins VT1 and VT2. Epidemiol. Infect. 99 (1987) 613–624.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1st Clinic of Infectious Disease, Krankenhaus Bulovka, 180 81, Praha 8, Czechoslovakia

    L. Šrámková DrSc.

  2. Institute of Medical Microbiology, Prague 5 — Motol

    M. Bielaszewská CSc.

  3. 1st Clinic of Paediatrics, Faculty of Paediatrics, Charles University in Prague, 150 18, Prague 5 — Motol

    J. Janda CSc. &  K. Bláhová CSc

  4. Regional Hygiene Station, 37001, Ceské Budějovice, Czechoslovakia

    O. Hausner

Authors
  1. L. Šrámková DrSc.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Bielaszewská CSc.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. Janda CSc.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. Bláhová CSc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. O. Hausner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Šrámková, L., Bielaszewská, M., Janda, J. et al. Vero cytotoxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli in children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome and diarrhoea in Czechoslovakia. Infection 18, 204–209 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01643386

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01643386

Keywords

Search

Navigation