@Article{biocell.2006.30.301,
AUTHOR = {M.E. RÜTTLER, C.S. YANZÓN, M.J. CUITIÑO, N.F. RENNA, M.A. PIZARRO, A.M. ORTIZ.},
TITLE = {Evaluation of a multiplex PCR method to detect enteroaggregative <i>Escherichia coli</i>},
JOURNAL = {BIOCELL},
VOLUME = {30},
YEAR = {2006},
NUMBER = {2},
PAGES = {301--308},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/biocell/v30n2/37695},
ISSN = {1667-5746},
ABSTRACT = {Enteroaggregative <i>Escherichia coli</i> (EAEC) has been implicated in sporadic diarrhea in children and adults and has been identified as the cause of several outbreaks worldwide. The HEp-2 test remains the gold standard for identification of this pathotype. A 60-65 MDa plasmid encodes the aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF/I and AAF/II), a transcriptional activator (<i>aggR</i> gene), the enteroaggregative heat-stable enterotoxin EAST1 (<i>astA</i> gene) and a cytotoxin (Pet). The standard assay for EAEC is performed only in research laboratories, because it is expensive, labor intensive and time-consuming. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) offers the possibility of rapid diagnosis. In the current study, a multiplex PCR assay which checks <i>aggR</i> and <i>astA</i> genes was designed. Eigthy- eight <i>E.coli</i> strains, isolated from children with acute diarrhea in Mendoza, Argentina, were characterized by the reference method (HEp-2 assay), and by <i>aggRastA</i> PCR. A strong correlation between the presence of the specific marker <i>aggR</i> and the reference test was found. The <i>astA</i> gene had a similar distribution between aggregative and localized strains, indicating that this gene could not be considered as a marker of EAEC. We conclude that <i>aggR</i> may be used to identify EAEC, using the PCR method as a screening test.},
DOI = {10.32604/biocell.2006.30.301}
}