Highly pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli revealed by the distinct electrophoretic patterns of carboxylesterase B.

One hundred and ninety one strains of Escherichia coli isolated from extra-intestinal infections and 85 strains isolated from the stools of healthy human beings were compared for electrophoretic mobility and isoelectric point of carboxylesterase B, and for production of alpha-haemolysin and the presence of mannose resistant haemagglutinin. Fast and slow electrophoretic mobilities were distinguished among the strains. The frequency of strains showing slow mobilities was considerably higher when they originated from extra-intestinal infections (40%) than when they were obtained from the stools of healthy individuals (7%). In a two-dimensional electrophoretic profile, the fast and slow mobility variants of carboxylesterase B were resolved into two patterns, B1 and B2, respectively. The frequency of pathogenic strains that concomitantly produced alpha-haemolysin and mannose resistant haemagglutinin was 48.7% for strains of pattern B2 but only 2.8% for strains of pattern B1. Thus, the electrophoretic pattern B2 of carboxylesterase B appears to be a molecular marker for a group of highly pathogenic E. coli strains which are frequently implicated in extra-intestinal infections.