CHARACTERIZATION OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI ISOLATED IN MAN AND SEAFOOD

The collection of 100 Escherichia coil strains isolated in clinical sa mples (30) healthy carriers (30) and seafood (40), was caracterized by conventional tests on API 20 E gallery and on specific reactive media . These strains were examined by full biotyping with 10 tests, serotyp ed using 12 monovalent sera and tested with 11 antibiotics. Six person s harboured higher percentages of resistant E. coil strains than seafo od. Primary and secondary biotypes based on he use of four primary tes ts and six secondary tests were prospected. The most frequently encoun tered primary biotypes were: biotype I (42%) 11 (16%) and 9 (12%). The se biotypes belonged to 32 secondary biotypes and 43 complete biotypes . The pathogenic serotypes isolated during this survey were O126B16 (3 %) O2(6)B6 (2%) O119B14 (2%), O86B7 (2%), O111B4 (2%) O55B5 (1%) O114K 90 (1%) and O128B12 (1%). Two strains of E, coli were enteroinvasive b y the test of SERENY. Results suggested that these typing methods may be used for discriminating strains of E. coil.