Infectious Multiple Drug Resistance in the Enterobacteriaceae
Annual rept. 1 Jun 1977-31 May 1978
WASHINGTON UNIV SEATTLE
Pagination or Media Count:
Colicin V is a protein elaborated by a variety of plasmids called collectively, ColV. It has been shown that ColV plasmids are far more likely to be found in E. coli strains isolated from extraintestinal infection than from fecal strains. We have shown that colicin V protein per se is not associated with the enhanced virulence exhibited by ColV bacteria. Rather, another genetic segment common to ColV plasmids is implicated as the primary virulence determinant. A current serious problem in hospitals is the prevalence of enteric organisms which are resistant to the major antibiotic groups used in the treatment of gram negtive infections. We have developed a rapid screening procedure that permits the identification of R plasmids within clinical isolates. We have isolated a DNA segment which can be employed as a specific probe for the E. coli LT enterotoxin gene in DNA-DNA hybridization tests. These data show that the LT gene is common to enteropathogenic E. coli strains of both human and animal origin. One of the critical steps in the pathogenesis of shigellosis is the penetration of colonic epithelial cells. Shigella flexneri strains are known to dissociate in vitro into two colonial forms, one of which, T, retains its capacity to penetrate cells while the other, O, have lost their capacity to penetrate.
- Medicine and Medical Research