ISOLATION OF VERO CYTOTOXIN-PRODUCING ESCHERICHIA-COLI SEROTYPES O9AB-H-CARRYING AND O101-H-CARRYING VT2 VARIANT GENE-SEQUENCES FROM A PATIENT WITH HEMOLYTIC-UREMIC-SYNDROME

Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) were isolated from th e faecal specimen of a patient with haemolytic uraemic syndrome, The i solates belonged to two rare VTEC serotypes, O9ab:H- and O101:H-. Poly merase chain reaction gene amplification products were detected with p rimers specific for the VT2e gene, a variant of VT2. The toxin from bo th isolates was cytotoxic to Vero cells but not to HeLa cells. An 18 k b EcoRI restriction enzyme fragment of genomic DNA from both strains h ybridised with a VT2 polynucleotide DNA probe.