Comparison between a bovine and a human enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli strain of serogroup O26 by suppressive subtractive hybridization reveals the presence of atypical factors in EHEC and EPEC strains.

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains are responsible for food poisoning in humans in developed countries via consumption of vegetal and animal foodstuffs contaminated by ruminant feces. The clinical conditions caused by EHEC strains vary from undifferentiated diarrhea to hemorrhagic colitis with, in a few cases, the appearance of the hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to death. Most EHEC strains can be found in the gut of healthy ruminants, but some of the strains, belonging to O26, O111, O118 serogroups, for example, are also responsible for digestive disorders in calves.

Study of polymorphisms in tir, eae and tccP2 genes in enterohaemorrhagic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli of serogroup O26.

Background: Enteropathogenic (EPEC) and enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) Escherichia coli are responsible for food poisoning (enteritis and enterotoxaemia) in humans in developed countries. Cattle are considered to be an important reservoir of EHEC and EPEC strains for humans. Moreover, some of the strains, belonging to the O26, O111, O118 serogroups, for example, are also responsible for digestive disorders in calves.

Prevalence, molecular typing, and antibiotic sensitivity of enteropathogenic, enterohaemorrhagic, and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from veal calves.

Cattle are considered to be an important reservoir of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains that can cause disease in humans, and numerous studies of the prevalence of these strains in cattle (focusing mainly on dairy and beef cattle) have been carried out in different regions of Europe, Asia, and America. To date, only a few studies of veal calves have been published focusing on EHEC strains belonging to the O157 serogroup EHEC, whereas EHEC and VTEC can belong to hundreds of different serotypes (many of which are as dangerous to humans as the O157:H7 EHEC, such as strains of the O26, O91, O103, O111, O113 and O145 serogroups). The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), EHEC, and VTEC strains in veal calves in Belgium and to characterize the positive isolates (serogroups, virulence-associated factor-encoding genes and antibiotic resistance profiles).

Putative adhesins of enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli of serogroup O26 isolated from humans and cattle.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains are responsible for food poisoning in developed countries via consumption of vegetal and animal food sources contaminated by ruminant feces, and some strains (O26, O111, and O118 serogroups) are also responsible for diarrhea in young calves. The prevalence of 27 putative adhesins of EHEC and of bovine necrotoxigenic E. coli (NTEC) was studied with a collection of 43 bovine and 29 human enteropathogenic (EPEC) and EHEC strains and 5 non-EPEC/non-EHEC (1 bovine and 4 human) O26 strains, using specific PCRs.