Enteroaggregative, Shiga Toxin-Producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> O111:H2 Associated with an Outbreak of Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome

Abstract

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O111:H2 strains from an outbreak of hemolytic-uremic syndrome showed aggregative adhesion to HEp-2 cells and harbored large plasmids which hybridized with the enteroaggregative E. coli probe PCVD432. These strains present a novel combination of virulence factors and might be as pathogenic to humans as the classic enterohemorrhagic E. coli.