DETECTION OF STEC AND EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS IN SURROUNDING OF A HUS PATIENT

After occurrence of a case of HUS infection in a 2-year-old infant fro m a dairy farmer's family living near O1-denburg, investigations were performed in the infant's surrounding in order to elucidate the route of infection. Since hospitalization took place at a late stage, it was not possible to isolate EHEC from the patient's stool samples. Howeve r, E. coli O157 antibody determinations in serum were positive. Since STEC of serogroup O157 were found in faeces from the 34 dairy cows of the farm, stool samples were taken from 6 members of the child's famil y and examined. Non-O157 STEC could be isolated from the stools of 2 f amily members. Determination of other virulence factors and other char acteristics such as serotype, biotype and phage type showed identity o f the agent for 3 isolates (2 from animals, 1 from humans). By means o f pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of the restricted DNA of the isolat es and by means of RAPD-PCR it was not possible to establish any diffe rences in the band patterns. It can be assumed, therefore, that the or ganisms had been transmitted from animals to humans.