Mikrobiyol Bul
-
The role of certain serogroups and serotypes of Escherichia coli in the etiology of gastroenteritis is increasingly appreciated. It is important to detect the virulence factors of diarrheagenic E.coli strains that differentiate them from nonpathogenic members of normal intestinal flora for the diagnosis and treatment. The aims of this study were to determine the serotypes of E.coli isolates that cause gastroenteritis and to investigate the presence of virulence genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ⋯ One strain serotyped as EPEC detected to carry estA gene of ETEC with PCR. All of the 29 control isolates that give negative results with polyvalent antisera were also negative for the presence of virulence genes. In conclusion, since serotyping and conventional PCR methods did not reveal similar results for the identification of pathogenic E.coli, multicenter and large-scaled studies performed with standardized methods are needed.