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Clonal relatedness of Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli O101 strains of human and porcine origin

Shiga-like toxin (SLT)-producing Escherichia coli (SLTEC) O101 has recently been associated with hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in humans. In this study, SLTEC O101 strains from humans and pigs were characterized for clonal relatedness by nucleotide sequence analysis of their slt genes, DNA finger-printing of genomic DNA, and determination of virulence factors. The slt genes of five E. coli O101 strains were cloned and sequenced. For all strains, the deduced amino acid sequences of the B subunits were identical to those of the SLT-IIe present in the classical SLTEC O139 strains that cause edema disease in pigs. The A subunit revealed more than 99% homology to that of SLT-IIe. DNA fingerprinting revealed a high degree of genetic relatedness between the human and porcine O101 isolates. None of the O101 strains investigated had virulence factors frequently found in porcine (F107 fimbriae or heat-stable or heat-labile enterotoxins) or human SLTEC strains (eaeA or enterohemorrhagic E. coli hemolysin). The absence of virulence factors typical of SLT-I- and SLT-II-producing E. Coli together with the presence of SLT-IIe, a toxin previously seen only in porcine E. coli, suggests a new pathogenic mechanism for E. coli O101 infection of humans. For diagnostic purposes, we recommend the use of PCR primers and DNA probes complementary to slt-IIe to correctly identify such strains and to further evaluate their role in human diseases.