ISOLATION OF VEROTOXIN-PRODUCING ESCHERICHIA-COLI O-ROUGH-K1-H7 FROM 2 PATIENTS WITH TRAVELERS DIARRHEA

Two Escherichia coli O-rough:K1:H7 strains producing verotoxin 1 that were isolated from stool samples of two travelers with diarrhea who co nsulted our clinic after trips to the Indian Subcontinent and Central America were characterized. Both strains were sorbitol negative, the s ame phenotype presented by E. coli O157:H7, but in contrast they were P-glucuronidase positive. Low-frequency restriction analysis of chromo somal DNA and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and repetitive extragen ic palindrome-PCR showed that both strains were epidemiologically rela ted. The illness was self-limited in both cases but involved long-dura tion, watery diarrhea (10 to 50 days) accompanied by abdominal cramps and flatulence, This serotype should be taken into account as a possib le cause of traveler's diarrhea.