• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.51-62
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• 2021

Escherichia coli are the predominant facultative bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. Some strains of E. coli that acquire virulence factors and cause foodborne and waterborne diseases in humans are called pathogenic E. coli and can be divided into five pathotypes according to the virulence mechanism: EAEC, EHEC, EIEC, EPEC, and ETEC. Although selective media have been developed to detect E. coli, distinguishing pathogenic strains from non-pathogenic ones is difficult because of their similar biochemical properties. Therefore, it is very important to find a new and effective diagnostic method to identify pathogenic E. coli. With recent advances in molecular biology and whole genome sequencing, the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is increasing rapidly. In this review paper, we provide an overview of pathogenic E. coli and present a review on PCR detection methods that can be used to diagnose pathogenic E. coli. In addition, the possibility of real-time PCR incorporating IAC is introduced. Consequently, this review paper will contribute to solving the current challenges related to the detection of pathogenic E. coli.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.173-176
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• 2011

Free-living Acanthamoeba are eukaryotic protozoan organisms that are widely distributed in the air, water, etc such as environment. Acanthamoeba ingest the Escherichia coli which will replicate in cytoplasm of Acanthamoeba. Bacterial pathogenicity or virulence is one of important determinant factors to survive in free-living Acanthamoeba and otherwise Acanthamoebic pathogenicity is also an important factor for their interactions. Bacterial association with pathogenic strain of Acanthamoeba T1 and T4 was lower about two times than non-pathogenic T7. Bacterial invasion percentages into T1 were higher about three times than T7 but bacterial survival in T7 was increased as T1. The capsule-deletion mutant exhibited limited ability for invasion/uptake by and survival inside pathogenic Acanthamoeba T4. E. coli-outer membrane protein A (OmpA) decreased bacterial association with A. castellanii by about three times and it had higher effects than lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Under favorable conditions, the mutants were not survived in Acanthamoeba up to 24 h incubation. Therefore, this review will report pathogenic and non-pathogenic Acanthamoeba strains interactions with E. coli and its several mutants, i.e., capsule, OmpA and LPS.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of antibacterial activity of Tibetan mushroom exopolysaccharide against foodborne pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus 305, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC19114, Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC42894 and Escherichia coli O55. The yield of exopolysaccharide isolated from Tibetan mushroom culture was 620 mg/L. The antibacterial activity of exopolysaccharide against foodborne pathogenic bacteria exhibited 15 mm and 12 mm clear zone against S. aureus 305 and L. monocytogenes ATCC 19114, respectively. However, no clear zone was observed against E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 42894 and E. coli O55. In conclusion, exopolysaccharide isolated from Tibetan mushroom culture have the antibacterial activity only against Gram-positive foodborne pathogenic bacteria.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.799-803
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• 2017

In the present study, centrifugation and filtration pretreatments were evaluated to decrease sample preparation time and to improve the sensitivity and specificity of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of low levels of pathogenic Escherichia coli in various foods. Pathogenic E. coli (E. coli NCCP11142, E. coli NCCP14037, E. coli NCCP 14038, E. coli NCCP14039, and E. coli NCCP15661) was inoculated into pork, beef, and baby leafy vegetables at 1, 2, and 3 Log CFU/g. The samples were shaken 30 times (control), then centrifuged or filtered. DNA extracts from the samples were subjected to PCR using the $Powerchek^{TM}$ Diarrheal E. coli 8-plex Detection Kit. In the pork samples, no E. coli was detected in the control samples, while E. coli were detected in 100% of 3-Log CFU/g inoculated and centrifuged samples, and in 100% of 2 and 3-Log CFU/g inoculated, and filtered samples. In the beef samples, all control samples appeared to be E. coli-negative, while E. coli was detected in 50-75% of centrifuged samples, regardless of inoculated level, and in 100% of 2 and 3-Log CFU/g inoculated, and filtered samples. In baby leafy vegetables, E. coli were not detected in 25-50% of the control samples, while E. coli were detected in 0-25% of the centrifuged samples, and 75-100% of the filtered samples, depending on the inoculum amount. In conclusion, filtration pretreatment can be used to minimize sample preparation time, and improve the sensitivity and specificity of rapid detection of pathogenic E. coli in various foods.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2020

Diarrhea is a major public health concern associated with pathogenic Escherichia coli infections. Food-borne pathogenic E. coli can lead to large diarrheal outbreaks and hence, there is a need to estimate the frequency of pathogenic E. coli load in the various types of meat available in markets. In the present study, we classified and characterized diarrheagenic E. coli isolates collected from 399 raw meat samples from retail sources in Korea. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were detected in 11 (9.7%) samples, including nine strains (8.0%) in beef and two strains (1.8%) in chicken. The frequency of the detected virulence markers were as follows: astA, 28.3%; escV,18.6%; eaeA,17.7%; ent, 7.0%; EHEC-hly, 4.4%; stx1, 3.5%; and stx2, 3.5%. We did not observe any typical EPEC, EIEC, or ETEC virulence determinants in any of the samples. The STEC serotype O26 was detected in one sample, but no other serogroups (O91, O103, O128, O157, O145, O111, and O121) were found. Further research is needed to better understand the virulence mechanism of STEC serotypes, their ecology, and prevalence in animals, food, and the environment. These results will help improve risk assessment and predict the sources of food poisoning outbreaks.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.199-205
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• 2013

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a causative agent for a number of extra intestinal diseases and account for significant losses to the poultry industry. Since protective immunity against APEC is largely directed to virulence antigens, we have individually expressed four different viulence antigens, papA, papG, IutA, and CS31A, using an attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium and a plasmid pBB244. Following oral immunization of mice with combination of two or four of these strains, serum IgG and mucosal IgA responses were elicited against each antigen represented in the mixture. The antigen-specific mucosal IgA responses were significantly higher in the group of mice immunized with the heat-labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) strain than those in the group of mice immunized without the LTB strain. While, there was no significant difference between these two groups in antigen-specific serum IgG responses. The results showed that LTB could act as mucosal immune adjuvant. To assess the nature of immunity, the distribution of antigen-specific IgG isotypes was analyzed. All groups promoted Th1-type immunity as determined by the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio. Thus, our findings provided evidence that immunization with a combination of several vaccine strains is one of the strategies of developing effective vaccines against APEC.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.5
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• 2022

This paper describes a fatal case of pneumonia in a 14-day-old dog caused by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC). The necropsy showed that almost all of left lobes of the lungs had dark-red consolidation. A histopathology examination revealed moderate acute fibrino-hemorrhagic necrotizing pneumonia with intralesional bacterial colonies. Non-suppurative epicarditis, congestion in the liver, and necrosis in the white pulp of the spleen also were found. E. coli with cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 and α-hemolysin was isolated from the lung. This case was confirmed to have fatal pneumonia caused by ExPEC that led to a systemic infection.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.259-265
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate incidence of extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase (ESBL) producing strains and characteristics of ESBL gene in pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from poultry during the period from April 2003 to December 2005 in Korea. Among 203 isolates, 4 isolates (3 from broilers and 1 from layer) were confirmed as ESBL producing strains by double disk synergy test, polymerase chain reaction and sequencing for ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. $bla_{CTX-M-15}$ and $bla_{CMY-2}$ were detected in these 4 isolates and were transferred to recipient by conjugation, respectively. Also, these ESBL producing strains were associated with multiple drug resistance. In conclusion, these results exhibit incidence of CTX-M and CMY-2 ${\beta}$-lactamase in pathogenic E coli from poultry in Korea, and clinically important meaning in human. And they also suggest the needs for rapid and broad surveillance to monitor ESBL genes and R plasmid transferring resistant gene in poultry.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.353-358
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• 2020

Objectives: An outbreak of pathogenic Escherichia coli food poisoning in Korea was first reported in 1998. They have continued to occure since then. This study was performed to describe the long-term trend in pathogenic E. coli food poisoning occurrences in Korea and examine the relation with climate factors. Methods: Official Korean statistics on food poisoning outbreaks and meteorological data for the period 2002-2017 were used. Pearson's correlation analysis was employed to establish the relationship between outbreaks of pathogenic E. coli food poisoning and meteorological factors. The influence of meteorological factors upon the outbreaks was analyzed by regression analysis. Results: During the study period, pathogenic E. coli food poisoning ranked second for the number of outbreaks (excluding unknowns) and first for the number of cases. Average temperature, the highest and lowest temperatures, precipitation, number of days with rainfall, and humidity all had a significant correlation with monthly number of outbreaks of pathogenic E. coli food poisoning (p<0.001). It was found that the lowest and highest temperatures and precipitation had a significant influence on the monthly number of outbreaks of food poisoning (p<0.001). These variables together explained 42.1% of the total variance, with the lowest temperature having the greatest explanatory power. Conclusion: These results show that food poisoning incidences may have been influenced by climate change, especially warming. The results also suggest that pathogenic E. coli infections are now an important public health issue in Korea since it is one of the countries where climate change is occurring rapidly.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.201-205
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• 2015

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of pathogenic Escherichia coli on diarrhea, growth performance, and blood profile of weaned pigs. A total of 48 pigs were used and housed in individual pens of disease containment chambers for 16 d (4 d before and 12 d after the first challenge [d0]). The treatments were with or without the pathogenic E. coli challenge (F-18 E. coli strain; heat-labile, heat-stable, and Shiga-like toxins). Pigs were orally inoculated with a dose of $10^{10}cfu$ E. coli per 3 mL PBS daily for 3 days. The common nursery diet and water were available at all times. The ADG, ADFI, G:F, diarrhea score, ratio of fecal ${\beta}$-hemolytic coliforms from total coliforms (RHT), and blood profile were measured. The pathogenic E. coli reduced (P < 0.05) ADG from d0 to 6 (117 vs. 297 g/d) and from d0 to 12 (377 vs. 238 g/d) compared with the control. Meanwhile, the pathogenic E. coli increased (P < 0.05) diarrhea score (average 3.4 vs. 1.4) and RHT (average 82 vs. 11%) on d3, 6, and 9 and the number of white blood cells (17.59 vs. $13.48{\times}10^3/{\mu}L$) on d6 compared with the control. No differences were found on ADFI and others in the blood profile (total protein and hematocrit). In conclusion, pathogenic E. coli used in this experiment successfully caused mild diarrhea, increased number of white blood cells, and adversely affected growth rate of weaned pigs.