Brooks H J, Bettelheim K A, Todd B, Holdaway M D
Department of Microbiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 1997 Feb;20(2):163-70. doi: 10.1016/s0147-9571(96)00031-8.
Strains of Escherichia coli that produce Vero cytotoxin (VTEC) commonly cause diarrhoea, haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic-uraemic syndrome in many northern hemisphere countries. In these countries, serotype O157:H7/H-predominates and has caused large food-borne outbreaks of infection. In contrast, few cases of infection with this serotype have been reported in New Zealand. Over a 3-month period, 484 stool specimens submitted to medical laboratories in Dunedin were screened for E. coli O157:H7/H-using sorbitol MacConkey agar, Y1 and Vero cell assays. Where possible, Vero cytotoxin production was confirmed by an ELISA test. Specimens from children aged 12 years or less were additionally screened for non-O157 VTEC. In the specimens of the children tested, O157:H7/H-VTEC was not isolated, but VTEC belonging to other serogroups were isolated from the children. Of interest was the detection of other species of Enterobacteriaceae, which produced a cytopathic effect on Vero cells. This study confirms the low incidence of infection with O157:H7/H- VTEC in New Zealand and suggests that non-O157 VTEC is a more important cause of diarrhoeal disease.
产生志贺毒素的大肠杆菌菌株（VTEC）在许多北半球国家通常会引发腹泻、出血性结肠炎和溶血尿毒综合征。在这些国家，O157:H7/H-血清型占主导，并已导致多起食源性感染暴发。相比之下，新西兰报告的该血清型感染病例较少。在3个月的时间里，利用山梨醇麦康凯琼脂、Y1和Vero细胞检测法，对提交给但尼丁医学实验室的484份粪便标本进行了O157:H7/H-大肠杆菌筛查。在可能的情况下，通过ELISA试验确认志贺毒素的产生。对12岁及以下儿童的标本还进行了非O157 VTEC筛查。在检测的儿童标本中，未分离出O157:H7/H-VTEC，但从儿童中分离出了属于其他血清群的VTEC。有趣的是检测到了其他肠杆菌科物种，它们对Vero细胞产生了细胞病变效应。这项研究证实了新西兰O157:H7/H-VTEC感染的低发病率，并表明非O157 VTEC是腹泻病更重要的病因。
