Abstract

AGUILA, Adalberto et al. Study of correlation between negative sorbose E. coli strains and their enterotoxin-producing capacity. Rev Cubana Med Trop [online]. 2006, vol.58, n.1. ISSN 0375-0760.

Fifty negative sorbose Escherichia coli strains isolated from children who suffered spontaneously occurring fluid diarrheas were studied. Identification up to the level of species was performed by conventional methods including phenotypical markers known as sorbose and sorbitol. The PCR and DNA gene hybridization were applied to confirm the enterotoxin-producing capacity. A good correlation between negative sorbose Escherichia coli and their capacity of producing heat-labile and heat -stable enterotoxin was observed. The study showed a high percentage of these strains with encoding gene fragments, 94 and 44% respectively, being heat-stable enterotoxin the predominant. The main primary biotypes of taxonomic and epidemiological importance were obtained. It was demonstrated that the sorbose method has certain qualities that make it stand out as a phenotypical marker, with 100% sensitivity and 88% specificity, and as a practical presumptive diagnostic method that is very useful for Clinical Microbiology Laboratories.

Keywords : enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli; negative sorbose; enterotoxins; fluid diarrheas; PCR and DNA gene hybridization; microbiology.

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