Skip to main content
PMC home page
Epidemiology and Infection logoLink to Epidemiology and Infection
. 1993 Jun;110(3):591–600. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800051013

Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli, particularly serogroup O 157, associated with human infections in the United Kingdom: 1989-91.

A Thomas 1, H Chart 1, T Cheasty 1, H R Smith 1, J A Frost 1, B Rowe 1
PMCID: PMC2272296  PMID: 8519324

Abstract

This survey reports the results of investigations performed by the Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens (LEP), to identify evidence of human infection with Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in the UK during the period 1989-91. Bacterial isolates, faecal specimens and serum samples were received from patients suffering from diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Using serotyping, Vero cytotoxin gene probing and an ELISA for serum antibodies to E. coli O 157, evidence of infection was detected in 232, 428 and 615 individuals in 1989, 1990 and 1991 respectively. Of these individuals, 15% were reported as having HUS. Vero cytotoxin-producing E. coli O 157 was the most frequently encountered serogroup, with isolations from a total of 1092 individuals over the 3-year period. The incidence of VTEC infection increased from 0.41/100,000 in 1989 to 1.07/100,000 in 1991. The area with the highest rate of infection in each year was Scotland, increasing from 1.37/100,000 in 1989 to 3.97/100,000 in 1991.

Full text

PDF
596

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chapman P. A., Siddons C. A., Wright D. J., Norman P., Fox J., Crick E. Cattle as a source of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157. Vet Rec. 1992 Oct 3;131(14):323–324. doi: 10.1136/vr.131.14.323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chart H., Smith H. R., Scotland S. M., Rowe B., Milford D. V., Taylor C. M. Serological identification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection in haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Lancet. 1991 Jan 19;337(8734):138–140. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)90801-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dev V. J., Main M., Gould I. Waterborne outbreak of Escherichia coli O157. Lancet. 1991 Jun 8;337(8754):1412–1412. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)93092-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Frost J. A., Cheasty T., Thomas A., Rowe B. Phage typing of Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O 157 isolated in the United Kingdom: 1989-91. Epidemiol Infect. 1993 Jun;110(3):469–475. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800050895. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Frost J. A., Smith H. R., Willshaw G. A., Scotland S. M., Gross R. J., Rowe B. Phage-typing of Vero-cytotoxin (VT) producing Escherichia coli O157 isolated in the United Kingdom. Epidemiol Infect. 1989 Aug;103(1):73–81. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800030375. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Karmali M. A. Infection by verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1989 Jan;2(1):15–38. doi: 10.1128/cmr.2.1.15. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Karmali M. A., Steele B. T., Petric M., Lim C. Sporadic cases of haemolytic-uraemic syndrome associated with faecal cytotoxin and cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in stools. Lancet. 1983 Mar 19;1(8325):619–620. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91795-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kleanthous H., Smith H. R., Scotland S. M., Gross R. J., Rowe B., Taylor C. M., Milford D. V. Haemolytic uraemic syndromes in the British Isles, 1985-8: association with verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli. Part 2: Microbiological aspects. Arch Dis Child. 1990 Jul;65(7):722–727. doi: 10.1136/adc.65.7.722. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Marsh J., MacLeod A. F., Hanson M. F., Emmanuel F. X., Frost J. A., Thomas A. A restaurant-associated outbreak of E. coli O157 infection. J Public Health Med. 1992 Mar;14(1):78–83. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Milford D. V., Taylor C. M., Guttridge B., Hall S. M., Rowe B., Kleanthous H. Haemolytic uraemic syndromes in the British Isles 1985-8: association with verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli. Part 1: Clinical and epidemiological aspects. Arch Dis Child. 1990 Jul;65(7):716–721. doi: 10.1136/adc.65.7.716. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Morgan G. M., Newman C., Palmer S. R., Allen J. B., Shepherd W., Rampling A. M., Warren R. E., Gross R. J., Scotland S. M., Smith H. R. First recognized community outbreak of haemorrhagic colitis due to verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O 157.H7 in the UK. Epidemiol Infect. 1988 Aug;101(1):83–91. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800029241. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Riley L. W., Remis R. S., Helgerson S. D., McGee H. B., Wells J. G., Davis B. R., Hebert R. J., Olcott E. S., Johnson L. M., Hargrett N. T. Hemorrhagic colitis associated with a rare Escherichia coli serotype. N Engl J Med. 1983 Mar 24;308(12):681–685. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198303243081203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Salmon R. L., Farrell I. D., Hutchison J. G., Coleman D. J., Gross R. J., Fry N. K., Rowe B., Palmer S. R. A christening party outbreak of haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome associated with Escherichia coli O 157.H7. Epidemiol Infect. 1989 Oct;103(2):249–254. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800030600. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Scotland S. M., Rowe B., Smith H. R., Willshaw G. A., Gross R. J. Vero cytotoxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli from children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome and their detection by specific DNA probes. J Med Microbiol. 1988 Apr;25(4):237–243. doi: 10.1099/00222615-25-4-237. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Smith H. R., Cheasty T., Roberts D., Thomas A., Rowe B. Examination of retail chickens and sausages in Britain for vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Jul;57(7):2091–2093. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.7.2091-2093.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Smith H. R., Rowe B., Gross R. J., Fry N. K., Scotland S. M. Haemorrhagic colitis and Vero-cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in England and Wales. Lancet. 1987 May 9;1(8541):1062–1065. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)90485-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Smith H. R., Scotland S. M. Vero cytotoxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli. J Med Microbiol. 1988 Jun;26(2):77–85. doi: 10.1099/00222615-26-2-77. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Synge B. A., Hopkins G. F. Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli 0.157 in Scottish calves. Vet Rec. 1992 Jun 27;130(26):583–583. doi: 10.1136/vr.130.26.583-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Taylor C. M., White R. H., Winterborn M. H., Rowe B. Haemolytic-uraemic syndrome: clinical experience of an outbreak in the West Midlands. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Jun 7;292(6534):1513–1516. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6534.1513. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Thomas A., Smith H. R., Willshaw G. A., Rowe B. Non-radioactively labelled polynucleotide and oligonucleotide DNA probes, for selectively detecting Escherichia coli strains producing Vero cytotoxins VT1, VT2 and VT2 variant. Mol Cell Probes. 1991 Apr;5(2):129–135. doi: 10.1016/0890-8508(91)90007-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Willshaw G. A., Smith H. R., Scotland S. M., Field A. M., Rowe B. Heterogeneity of Escherichia coli phages encoding Vero cytotoxins: comparison of cloned sequences determining VT1 and VT2 and development of specific gene probes. J Gen Microbiol. 1987 May;133(5):1309–1317. doi: 10.1099/00221287-133-5-1309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Epidemiology and Infection are provided here courtesy of Cambridge University Press

RESOURCES