FIG. 3.

Correlation between the presence of P-BIT gene targets (based on the 24-gene scheme), seropathotype classification, and a serotype's reported association with HUS or outbreaks. (A) The greatest number of P-BIT gene targets were present in serotypes associated with outbreaks and HUS (SPT A and SPT B), followed by strains associated with HUS only (SPT C), strains associated with diarrhea (SPT D), and lastly strains not associated with human disease (SPT E). (B) HUS (SPT A-C)- and outbreak (SPT A and B)-associated serotypes were positive for a significantly higher number of P-BIT gene targets than were non-HUS (SPT D and E)- and non-outbreak (SPT C-E)-associated serotypes. Bars indicate the average number of positive PCR results, and error bars indicate the standard error of the mean. Statistical significance was determined by a two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test.