Detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O113, O121, O145, and O157 serogroups by multiplex polymerase chain reaction of the wzx gene of the O-antigen gene cluster

Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2011 May;8(5):651-2. doi: 10.1089/fpd.2010.0769.

Abstract

O-antigens on the surface of Escherichia coli are important virulence factors that are targets of both the innate and adaptive immune system and play a major role in pathogenicity. O-antigens that are responsible for antigenic specificity of the strain determine the O-serogroup. E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O113, O121, O145, and O157 have been the most commonly identified O-serogroups associated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) implicated in outbreaks of human illness all over the world. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay was developed to simultaneously detect the eight STEC O-serogroups targeting the wzx (O-antigen-flippase) genes of all O-antigen gene clusters. The sensitivity of the multiplex polymerase chain reaction was found to be 10 colony forming units for each O-group when enriched in broth and 100 colony forming units when enriched in artificially inoculated apple juice diluted with tryptic soy broth for 16 h at 37°C. The method can be used for detecting STEC O-groups simultaneously and may be exploited for improving the safety of food products.

MeSH terms

  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / genetics*
  • Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • O Antigens / genetics
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / classification*
  • Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli / metabolism

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • O Antigens
  • Wzx protein, E coli