Investigation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Fecal Samples of Patients with Diarrhea

Objective: Among several strains of Escherichia coli causing colonic infection, the Shiga-toxin secreting E. coli strains are accepted as one of the most important bacterial enteropathogen. There are more than 150 Shiga-toxin secreting E coli serotypes including the E. coli O157:H7 which is the most widely studied strain, because it causes serious comlications; like haemolytic uremic syndrome. In this study, it was aimed to identify the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 as a pathogen in patients with diarrhea. On the other hand, policlonal E. coli O157 antiserum was obtained from rabbits and was used in diagnosis with direct aglutination. Material and Methods: We included 279 male and 150 female suffering from diarrhea, whose mean age was 28.9 +/- 20.1 years (15 days-94 years) in this study. Stool samples of patients who were suffering diarrhea were analysed for E coli O157:H7 by directly streaking onto Sorbitol MacConkey agar after enrichment. Results: There were 5 positive fecal samples for O157 and H7 antigen in 429 patients. These 5 cases of whom 3 male and 2 female were in the 15-64 ages group. There were history of suspect food consumption in 3 of cases but no investigation was performed to identify the source of infection. Conclusion: There were no macroscopic blood in stool specimens and no haemolytic uremic syndrome in any of them.