AJTMH ASTMH MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: astmh@astmh.org
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 78(6), 2008, pp. 985-989
Copyright © 2008 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mendez-Arancibia, E.
Right arrow Articles by Vila, J.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mendez-Arancibia, E.
Right arrow Articles by Vila, J.

Prevalence of Different Virulence Factors and Biofilm Production in Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Isolates Causing Diarrhea in Children in Ifakara (Tanzania)

Eva Mendez-Arancibia, Martha Vargas, Sara Soto, Joaquim Ruiz, Eliseus Kahigwa, David Schellenberg, Honoraty Urassa, Joaquim Gascón, AND Jordi Vila*
Servei de Microbiologia, Centre de Diagnostic Biomèdic; Servei de Malalties Infeccioses and Centre de Salut Intenacional and IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínic, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Villarroel 170 08036-Barcelona, Spain; Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, National Institute for Medical Research, Ifakara, Tanzania

This study investigated the prevalence of 19 virulence factors and biofilm production in 86 EAEC isolates causing diarrhea in children less than 5 years of age from Ifakara, Tanzania. Virulence factors were detected by PCR, whereas biofilm production was determined using a microtiter plate assay. No virulence factor, with the exception of the aat gene used to identify EAEC, was detected in 11/86 isolates (12.8%). The most frequently detected virulence factor was the aggR gene in 53 (61.6%) EAEC, followed by antigen 43 in 33.7%, dispersin in 26.7%, yersiniabactin in 22.1%; autrotransporter Sat in 20.9%; Shigella enterotoxin-1 in 16.3%, and heat-stable toxin-1 in 15.1%. Biofilm was produced in 66/86 (76%) isolates. AggR was the most prevalent virulence factor in the biofilm-forming group (65% versus 38%, P = 0.032). These results again show the high heterogeneity of virulence factors among EAEC isolates causing diarrhea in children, and that biofilm may be an important virulence factor, strongly associated with the presence of AggR.

Received October 31, 2007. Accepted for publication February 29, 2008.

* Address correspondence to Jordi Vila, Servei de Microbiología, Hospital Clinic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: jvila{at}ub.edu

Authors’ addresses: Eva Mendez-Arancibia, Sara Soto, and Jordi Vila, Servei de Microbiología, Hospital Clinic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain, Tel: 34-932275522, Fax: 34-932279372, E-mail: jvila{at}ub.edu. Martha Vargas, Servei de Malalties Infeccioses. Joaquim Ruiz and Joaquim Gascón, Centre de Salut Intenacional and IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínic, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Bar-celona, Villarroel 170 08036-Barcelona, Spain. Eliseus Kahigwa and David Schellenberg, Honoraty Urassa, Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, National Institute for Medical Research, Ifakara, Tanzania.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.