OUTBREAK OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI 0157-H7 INFECTION IN A LARGE FAMILY

An outbreak of bloody and nonbloody diarrhoea caused by Escherichia co li O157:H7 including one case of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and two cases of haemolytic anaemia, in five siblings (aged 2.5 to 11.3 y ears) and their playmate was investigated. Using sorbitol-MacConkey ag ar, colony blot hybridisation, and immunomagnetic separation, Shiga to xin 2-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from all childre n but the HUS patient; however, this patient had high immunoglobulin M antibody titres against Escherichia coli O157 lipopolysaccharide. Esc herichia coli O157 isolates from all patients were indistinguishable i n serotype, virulence properties, and genomic background, indicating t hat the same strain caused the infections. These data confirm the impo rtance of person-to-person transmission.