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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2001, p. 143-149, Vol. 8, No. 1
Institut für Infektiologie, Zentrum
für Molekularbiologie der Entzündung, Westfälische
Wilhelms-Universität, Münster,1
Institut für Hygiene und Infektionskrankheiten der Tiere
der Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen,3
Germany, and Unité de Pathogénie
Bacteriénne des Muqueuses, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
2
Received 11 April 2000/Returned for modification 28 August
2000/Accepted 25 September 2000
Pathogenic Escherichia coli strains are known to cause
edema disease (ED) and postweaning diarrhea (PWD) in piglets. Although the exact mechanisms of pathogenicity that lead to ED-PWD remain to be
elucidated, E. coli-borne Shiga-like toxin and
adhesion-mediating virulence factors such as F18 adhesin or F4 fimbriae
are believed to play a central role in ED-PWD. In light of these
observations we investigated whether another E. coli
adhesin, the plasmid-encoded AIDA (adhesin involved in diffuse
adherence) might also be present in ED-PWD-causing E. coli isolates. For rapid screening for the AIDA system in large
numbers of isolates, a multiplex PCR method along with a duplex Western
blot procedure was developed. When screening 104 strains obtained from
pigs with or without ED-PWD, we observed a high prevalence of the AIDA
operon in porcine E. coli isolates, with over 25% of
all strains being AIDA positive, and we could demonstrate a significant
association of the intact AIDA gene (orfB) with ED-PWD,
while defects in orfB were associated with the absence of
disease. Although our data hint toward a contribution of AIDA to
ED-PWD, further studies will be necessary since the presence of the
AIDA genes was also associated with the presence of the Shiga-like
toxin and F18 adhesin genes, two reported virulence factors for ED-PWD.
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.8.1.143-149.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
The AIDA Autotransporter System Is Associated with F18 and Stx2e
in Escherichia coli Isolates from Pigs Diagnosed with
Edema Disease and Postweaning Diarrhea
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut
für Infektiologie, ZMBE, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, D-48149
Münster, Germany. Phone: 49-251-8356469. Fax: 49-251-8356467. E-mail:infekt{at}uni-muenster.de.
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