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. 2011 Feb;17(2):180-5.
doi: 10.3201/eid1702.100909.

Human infections with non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Switzerland, 2000-2009

Ursula Käppeli  1 , Herbert Hächler, Nicole Giezendanner, Lothar Beutin, Roger Stephan
Affiliations

Human infections with non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Switzerland, 2000-2009

Ursula Käppeli et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

We characterized 97 non-O157 Shiga toxin (stx)-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from human patients during 2000-2009 from the national reference laboratory in Switzerland. These strains belonged to 40 O:H serotypes; 4 serotypes (O26:H11/H-, O103:H2, O121:H19, and O145:H28/H-) accounted for 46.4% of the strains. Nonbloody diarrhea was reported by 23.2% of the patients, bloody diarrhea by 56.8%. Hemolytic uremic syndrome developed in 40.0% of patients; serotype O26:H11/H- was most often associated with this syndrome. Forty-five (46.4%) strains carried stx2 genes only, 36 strains (37.1%) carried stx1, and 16 (16.5%) strains carried stx1 and stx2. Genes encoding enterohemolysin and intimin were detected in 75.3% and 70.1% of the strains, respectively. Resistance to ≥1 antimicrobial agent was present in 25 isolates. High genetic diversity within strains indicates that non-O157 stx-producing E. coli infections in Switzerland most often occurred as single cases.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anamnestic data for 97 non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) (black bar sections) and 44 O157 STEC (white bar sections) strains isolated from human patients, Switzerland, 2000–2009. H, hemolytic uremic syndrome; B, bloody diarrhea; D, nonbloody diarrhea; A, anemia; N, no anamnestic data available.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dendrogram of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O26 strains isolated from human patients, Switzerland, 2000–2009. stx, Shiga toxin gene; eae, intimin gene. Scale bar indicates degree of similarity (%).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dendrogram of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O145 strains isolated from human patients, Switzerland, 2000–2009. stx, Shiga toxin gene; eae, intimin gene. Scale bar indicates degree of similarity (%).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Dendrogram of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O103 strains isolated from human patients, Switzerland, 2000–2009. stx, Shiga toxin gene; eae, intimin gene. Scale bar indicates degree of similarity (%).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Dendrogram of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli O121 strains isolated from human patients, Switzerland, 2000–2009 in Switzerland. stx, Shiga toxin gene; eae, intimin gene. Scale bar indicates degree of similarity (%).
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