Jpn. J. Infect. Dis., 65 (3), 203-207, 2012

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Takayuki Konno*, Jun Yatsuyanagi, Shiho Takahashi, Yuko Kumagai, Eriko Wada, Machiko Chiba, and Shioko Saito

Health and Hygiene Division, Akita Prefectural Research Center for Public Health and Environment, Akita 010-0874, Japan

(Received December 28, 2011. Accepted March 2, 2012)

*Corresponding author: Mailing address: Akita Prefectural Research Center for Public Health and Environment, 6-6 Sensyu kubota-machi, Akita 010-0874, Japan. Tel: +81-18-832-5005, Fax: +81-18-832-5938, E-mail: このメールアドレスはスパムボットから保護されています。閲覧するにはJavaScriptを有効にする必要があります。

SUMMARY: A microbial strain harboring the eae gene, which is known as the virulence gene of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and most enterohemorrhagic E. coli, was isolated from a patient in a gastroenteritis outbreak that occurred in 22 patients in Akita Prefecture, Japan, in November 2011. The biochemical characteristics of the isolate were more similar to those of a novel Escherichia sp., E. albertii than E. coli. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolate were identical to those of a certain E. albertii strain, but also showed a high degree of similarity to those of E. coli strains. Finally, we identified this isolate as E. albertii by performing PCR analysis that targeted the uidA, lysP, mdh, and cdtB genes in addition to stx and eae genes to differentiate between the EPEC and E. albertii strains.