Open Access

ARTICLE

Evaluation of a multiplex PCR method to detect enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

by M.E. RÜTTLER, C.S. YANZÓN, M.J. CUITIÑO, N.F. RENNA, M.A. PIZARRO, A.M. ORTIZ.

Área de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Mendoza, Argentina.
Address correspondence to: Dra. María Elena Rüttler. Área de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Casilla de Correo 33, (5500) Mendoza, ARGENTINA. E-mail: mruttler@fcm.uncu.edu.ar

BIOCELL 2006, 30(2), 301-308. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2006.30.301

Abstract

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) has been implicated in sporadic diarrhea in children and adults and has been identified as the cause of several outbreaks worldwide. The HEp-2 test remains the gold standard for identification of this pathotype. A 60-65 MDa plasmid encodes the aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF/I and AAF/II), a transcriptional activator (aggR gene), the enteroaggregative heat-stable enterotoxin EAST1 (astA gene) and a cytotoxin (Pet). The standard assay for EAEC is performed only in research laboratories, because it is expensive, labor intensive and time-consuming. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) offers the possibility of rapid diagnosis. In the current study, a multiplex PCR assay which checks aggR and astA genes was designed. Eigthy- eight E.coli strains, isolated from children with acute diarrhea in Mendoza, Argentina, were characterized by the reference method (HEp-2 assay), and by aggRastA PCR. A strong correlation between the presence of the specific marker aggR and the reference test was found. The astA gene had a similar distribution between aggregative and localized strains, indicating that this gene could not be considered as a marker of EAEC. We conclude that aggR may be used to identify EAEC, using the PCR method as a screening test.

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