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[Evaluation of a latex agglutination method for detecting and characterizing verotoxin (VT) produced by Escherichia coli].

The detection of VT produced by Escherichia coli is very important for the identification of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC). The latex agglutination reagents (Denka Seiken Co. Ltd, Tokyo) which was developed to detect VT was compared with the vero cell bioassay or polymerase chain reaction method. A total 147 VT-positive strains (109 serotype O157:H 7/- and 38 non-O157 serotype) and 31 VT-negative strains which were isolated from human were investigated. In addition, a total of 79 VT-positive strains (14 serotype O157:H7/- and 65 non-O157 serotype) and 79 VT-negative strains which were isolated from animals were also examined. The latex agglutination assay for the human isolates showed the 100% sensitivity, specificity and agreement. The assay for the animal isolates showed 94.9% sensitivity, 100% specificity and 97.5% agreement. Although 4 of 8 strains isolated from swine which produce VT2 variant toxin (VT2e) failed in detecting verotoxin by latex agglutination assay, VT2e was not related to human infections. We conclude that this latex agglutination reagent is highly sensitive and specific for detecting and characterizing VT of E. coli. The method is reliable, easy to perform at any laboratories.