Differentiation of enterotoxigenic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from humans and calves by rep-PCR

Abstract

To determine the virulence markers of enterotoxigenic E. coli [ETEC] and enteropathogenic E. coli [EPEC], 224 stool specimens from diarrheic humans and 60 diarrheic calves were examined by PCR. This study was conducted to achieve a better understanding of the genetic relationships and evolutionary patterns within E. coli pathotypes isolated from humans and calves. Stool specimens from 224 diarrheic humans and 60 diarrheic calves were cultured for E. coli. The samples were obtained from North West of Iran. The rep-PCR fingerprint technique, which performed with primer BOX A1R, was used for discriminating between human and calf sources. A total of 25 ETEC and EPEC strains isolated from humans and calves. The discriminant analysis showed an Average Rate of Correct Classification [ARCC] of 97% for ETEC and 94.5% for EPEC isolates. This result reveals that the rep-PCR fingerprint technique with primer BOX A1R may be an effective technique for discriminating and grouping E. coli isolates, and can be empolyed as a source following tool for differentiation and identification of host sources.