Direct detection of verotoxin genes in stool samples by polymerase chain reaction in hemolytic uremic syndrome patients in France

Objective: To reassess the occurrence of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in French hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) patients.
Method: From March 1991 to January 1995, direct detection of verotoxin genes (VT) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on stool samples from 169 patients suffering from HUS.
Results: Fifty-one were PCR positive (30.1%); one was positive for the VT1 gene and the others for the VT2 gene. VTEC was isolated from only 32 of the 51 PCR-positive samples. E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from five patients. E. coli O111 was isolated from seven patients during an outbreak of HUS. Among the other VT2 E. coli strains, only four were serotypable. Of the 51 PCR-positive stools, 19 were culture negative for VTEC.
Conclusions: This study provides evidence that in France E. coli O157 and other VTEC serotypes are involved in HUS.     

Effect of human serum on bioluminescence of natural and recombinant luminescent bacteria

Biphasic modification of bacterial bioluminescence by human serum was revealed: bioluminescence was inhibited at high concentrations of the serum and stimulated at low concentrations. Effects of temperature and duration of exposure on bioluminescence manifested in stimulation of the inhibitory effect at higher temperature and longer exposure. The degree of inhibition of bioluminescence under in the presence of serum depends on species characteristics of the microorganism and nature of the luminescent system. Translated fromByulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 138, No. 9, pp. 311–315, September, 2004     

Effects of luminal stimuli on polyamine metabolism in the small intestine of the rat: the role of enteric nerves

The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent polyamine metabolism in the small intestine of the rat is controlled by the enteric nervous system. Polyamine metabolism was followed by measuring the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and in some instances also the content of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine). ODC activity in the intestine was increased when intraluminal pressure was increased and 3 h after placing cholera toxin in the intestinal lumen. Cholera toxin also increased the tissue putrescine content. Atropine or hexamethonium given i.v. did not influence the evoked changes of ODC activity. The pressure induced changes were not decreased by placing lidocaine on the serosal surface. On the other hand, the ODC activity of control segments were decreased by hexamethonium or atropine. The presence of glucose in the intestinal perfusate did not augment tissue ODC activity, neither did the heat stable enterotoxin from Escherichia coli (STa). It is concluded that the effect on polyamine metabolism evoked by luminal pressure or cholera toxin seems not to be mediated via nerves, while nerves seem to influence ODC activity during control conditions. The experiments with enterotoxins suggest that cAMP is the intracellular second messenger controlling intestinal ODC activity.     

Cross-linking of cell surface ganglioside GM1 induces the selective apoptosis of mature CD+ T lymphocytes

Gangliosides are glycosphingolipids found ubiquitously on thesurface of mammalian cells. They contain a ceramide tail thatis inserted into the membrane and exposed carbohydrate and sialicacid moleties. The non-toxic B subunit oligomer (EtxB) of Escherichiacoli heat-labile enterotoxin (Etx) is a potent immunogen invivo and has profound modulatory effects on EtxB-primed lymphocytesin vitro, properties which are dependent on its ability to bindto GM1 ganglioside receptors. Here, it is shown that cross-linkingGM1 by EtxB causes a differential effect on mature CD4⁺ andCD8⁺ T cells from lymph node cultures proliferating in responseto an unrelated antigen, ovalbumin. Addition of EtxB to suchcultures led to the complete depletion of CD8⁺ T cells comparedwith enhanced activation of CD4⁺ T cells [as measured by expressionof CD25 (IL-2R)]. By contrast, addition of a mutant EtxB, EtxB(G33D),which does not bind to GM1, failed to trigger CD8⁺ T cell depletion.When EtxB was added to isolated non-immune CD8⁺ lymphocytesrapid (12–18 h) alterations in nuclear morphology andthe appearance of sub-G₀/G₁ levels of DNA were induced; propertieswhich are characteristic of cells undergoing apoptosis. EtxB(G33D)failed to trigger apoptosis, indicating that the induction ofthe apoptotic signal was dependent on the binding of GM1. Thesefindings provide an insight into the potent immunogenicity andimmunomodulatory properties of E. coli enterotoxins as wellas heralding a novel method for the selective induction of apoptosisin mature CD8⁺ T lymphocytes.     

Cytopathogenic action ofEscherichia coli cells containing heterologous human type O(H) antigen on human cells in culture

The character of interaction between two enteropathogenic strains ofEscherichia coli of serotype 055K59 with human HeLa cells containing O(H) isoantigen was studied. On the addition of strainE. coli No. 5789, containing heterologous type O(H) antigen to a culture of HeLa cells, a cytopathogenic action was discovered on the third day of interaction in the presence of doses of bacterial cells of 2·10¹⁰, 2·10⁵, and 2·10⁴. A dose of 2·10³ bacterial cells ofE. coli did not give this effect. Strain No. 3827, not containing heterologous antigen of ABO type, had no cytopathogenic action in maximal, average, and small doses of bacterial cells. It is suggested that the cytopathogenic action of strain No. 5789 is connected with the presence of an antigen in this strain which is identical with the group antigen of the human cell culture studied.Research Laboratory of Experimental Immunobiology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of medical Sciences of the USSR N. N. Zhukov-Verezhnikov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 84, No. 7, pp. 70–72, July, 1977.     

70. Ileorectostomie versus ileo-anale Anastomose mit Reservoir bei Colitis ulcerosa und Adenomatosis coli

Zusammenfassung Ca. 2000 Proktomucosektomien sind in den letzten Jahren durchgeführt worden als Alternative zur Proktocolektomie, aber auch zur Ileorectostomie bei AC und CU. Bei minimaler Operationsletalität ist die Rate der Frühkomplikationen (Ileus, Anastomoseninsuffizienz, Anastomosenstenose) nicht unbeträchtlich (> 10%). Die funktionellen Ergebnisse dagegen sind nach einer Phase der Adaptation vorwiegend gut. Die nicht unerheblichen Risiken der Ileorectostomie bei AC (Entartungsrate bis 20%) und bei CU (Entzündungsrezidiv 20–30%, sekundäre Entartung um 5%) haben die Proktomucosektomie an gröeren Zentren zu einem etablierten Verfahren werden lassen.     

2015—2019年北京市食源性致泻大肠埃希氏菌感染病例流行特征分析

目的分析2015—2019年北京市食源性致泻大肠埃希氏菌(diarrheagenic Escherichia coli,DEC)感染病例的流行病学特征和发病规律,为制定相应的防控策略与措施提供科学依据。方法收集2015—2019年北京市36家食源性疾病主动监测医院腹泻病例的粪便或肛拭子标本及其个人信息,采用χ^(2)检验对率或构成比进行比较。结果共收集27619份病例标本,其中有2485份为DEC阳性病例,检出率为9.00%,不同分型中肠产毒性大肠埃希菌检出率最高,为3.10%,其次为肠聚集性大肠埃希菌,检出率为3.02%。不同年龄组DEC检出率差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=32.923,P<0.001),20~39岁年龄组DEC检出率最高,为9.81%,40~59岁年龄组感染肠产毒性大肠埃希菌高于其他年龄组,0~5岁年龄组肠致病性大肠埃希菌的检出率最高。时间分布上,第三季度为高发期,不同季度间DEC检出率差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=606.032,P<0.001)。空间分布上,远郊的DEC检出率最高,且城区、近郊和远郊的DEC检出率差异有统计学意义(χ^(2)=28.034,P<0.001),肠产毒性大肠埃希菌的检出主要分布在城区和近郊,肠聚集性大肠埃希菌主要分布在远郊。结论2015—2019年北京市食源性DEC的检出率呈逐年上升趋势,应在夏秋高发季节针对重点人群积极开展防控工作。     

Estimate of Burden and Direct Healthcare Cost of Infectious Waterborne Disease in the United States

Provision of safe drinking water in the United States is a great public health achievement. However, new waterborne disease challenges have emerged (e.g., aging infrastructure, chlorine-tolerant and biofilm-related pathogens, increased recreational water use). Comprehensive estimates of the health burden for all water exposure routes (ingestion, contact, inhalation) and sources (drinking, recreational, environmental) are needed. We estimated total illnesses, emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, deaths, and direct healthcare costs for 17 waterborne infectious diseases. About 7.15 million waterborne illnesses occur annually (95% credible interval [CrI] 3.88 million–12.0 million), results in 601,000 ED visits (95% CrI 364,000–866,000), 118,000 hospitalizations (95% CrI 86,800–150,000), and 6,630 deaths (95% CrI 4,520–8,870) and incurring US $3.33 billion (95% CrI 1.37 billion–8.77 billion) in direct healthcare costs. Otitis externa and norovirus infection were the most common illnesses. Most hospitalizations and deaths were caused by biofilm-associated pathogens (nontuberculous mycobacteria, Pseudomonas, Legionella), costing US $2.39 billion annually.     

Recency-Weighted Statistical Modeling Approach to Attribute Illnesses Caused by 4 Pathogens to Food Sources Using Outbreak Data,United States

Foodborne illness source attribution is foundational to a risk-based food safety system. We describe a method for attributing US foodborne illnesses caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter to 17 food categories using statistical modeling of outbreak data. This method adjusts for epidemiologic factors associated with outbreak size, down-weights older outbreaks, and estimates credibility intervals. On the basis of 952 reported outbreaks and 32,802 illnesses during 1998–2012, we attribute 77% of foodborne Salmonella illnesses to 7 food categories (seeded vegetables, eggs, chicken, other produce, pork, beef, and fruits), 82% of E. coli O157 illnesses to beef and vegetable row crops, 81% of L. monocytogenes illnesses to fruits and dairy, and 74% of Campylobacter illnesses to dairy and chicken. However, because Campylobacter outbreaks probably overrepresent dairy as a source of nonoutbreak campylobacteriosis, we caution against using these Campylobacter attribution estimates without further adjustment.     

Genomic Characterization of hlyF-positive Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli,Italy and the Netherlands, 2000–2019

Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O80:H2 has emerged in Europe as a cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome associated with bacteremia. STEC O80:H2 harbors the mosaic plasmid pR444_A, which combines several virulence genes, including hlyF and antimicrobial resistance genes. pR444_A is found in some extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains. We identified and characterized 53 STEC strains with ExPEC-associated virulence genes isolated in Italy and the Netherlands during 2000–2019. The isolates belong to 2 major populations: 1 belongs to sequence type 301 and harbors diverse stx₂ subtypes, the intimin variant eae-ξ, and pO157-like and pR444_A plasmids; 1 consists of strains belonging to various sequence types, some of which lack the pO157 plasmid, the locus of enterocyte effacement, and the antimicrobial resistance–encoding region. Our results showed that STEC strains harboring ExPEC-associated virulence genes can include multiple serotypes and that the pR444_A plasmid can be acquired and mobilized by STEC strains.