Abstract
Background: : Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli pose a significant risk to human health. As such, determin- ing the source(s) of these bacteria when isolated from patients with diarrhoea is an important step in disease prevention.
Objectives: : To identify the presence of genes coding for virulence and phylogroups among E. coli isolated from children hospitalized due to diarrhoea in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods: : E. coli isolates were identified using the VITEK-2 automated system. An 11-gene multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to differentiate five pathogenic types of E. coli : enteroaggrega- tive (EAEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC), enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC) and enterotoxi- genic (ETEC). The Clermont quadruplex PCR method was used to identify phylogroups of isolates .
Results: From the 133 isolates tested, 79 were confirmed as E. coli . Of these, 19.0% (15/79) were com- mensals and 81.0% (64/79) were positive for at least one pathotype, of which ETEC was predominant (16.5%, 13/79), followed by EAEC (10.1%, 8/79), EPEC (7.6%, 6/79) and EHEC (2.5%, 2/79). Hybrid patho- types were also detected and EAEC/ETEC was predominant (25.3%, 20/79). Phylogroup B2 was predom- inant (30.4%, 24/79), followed by phylogroup B1 (22.8%, 18/79), and phylogroups C and E (both 12.7%, 10/79). Just over 6% (5/79) of isolates were non-typable. Conclusion: : There was a high distribution of diarrhoeagenic E. coli associated with different phylogroups among children living in Limpopo Province, South Africa. This emphasizes the importance of future mon- itoring of virulence and phylogroup distribution of E. coli isolates in this province in particular and in South Africa as a whole.