Table 1. Sequences of primers used in the multiplex PCRs for the detection of E. coli intestinal genes and phylogenetic groups.

Pathotypes	Gene	Sequence	Amplified product length in base pairs
Typical EPEC	bfp	bfp F: GGAAGTCAAATTCATGGGGGTAT bfp R: GGAATCAGACGCAGACTGGTAGT	300 bp
EPEC or EHEC	eae	eae F: TCAATGCAGTTCCGTTATCAGTT eae R: GTAAAGTCCGTTACCCCAACCTG	482 bp
ETEC	elt	elt F: ACGGCGTTACTATCCTCTC elt R: TGGTCTCGGTCAGATATGTG	273 bp
EAEC	CVD 432	CVD F: CTGGCGAAAGACTGTATCATCVD R: AAATGTATAGAAATCCGCTGTT	630 bp
ETEC	estA1	estA1 F: TCTTTCCCCTCTTTTAGTCAG estA1 R: ACAGGCAGGATTACAACAAAG	166 bp
ETEC	estA2-4	estA2 F: TTCACCTTTCCCTCAGGATG estA2 R: CTATTCATGCTTTCAGGACCA	120 bp
STEC	VTcom (Stx1 + Stx2)	VT F: GAGCGAAATAATTTATATGTG VT R: TGATGATGGCAATTCAGTAT	518 bp
EIEC	ial	Ial F: CTGGTAGGTATGGTGAGG Ial R: CCAGGCCAACAATTATTTCC	320 bp
Phylogenetic group	chuA	chuA F: GACGAACCA ACGGTCAGGAT chuA R: TGCCGCCAGTACC AAAGACA	279 bp
	YjaA	YjaA F: TGAAGTGTCAGGAGACGCTG YjaA R: ATGGAGAATGCGTTCCTCAAC	211 bp
	TspE4C2	Tsp F: GAGTAATGTCGGGGCATTCA Tsp R: CGCGCCAACAAAGTATTACG	152 bp

EAEC – enteroaggregative E. coli; EHEC – enterohemorrhagic E. coli; EIEC – enteroinvasive E. coli; EPEC – enteropathogenic E. coli; ETEC – enterotoxigenic E. coli; STEC – Shiga toxin E. coli.