An epidemiologic investigation was carried out in Modena (Italy) to evaluate the prevalence of faecal VEROtoxin (FVT) in diarrhoeal stool specimens. One thousand and sixty-six stool specimens, submitted to the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory of the University Hospital of Modena, were collected and faecal filtrates tested for neutralizable cytotoxin by a toxicity test on VERO cells. Cytopathic effect on VERO cells was produced by 301 stool specimens (28%); neutralizable VT was detected in 40 (13%) out of 301 positive samples (3.7% of 1066 specimens). The prevalent FVT type was VT2 (50%), followed by VT1 (32.5%) and VT1+2 (17.5%). We evaluated an assay that detects both VTs directly from stool specimens to demonstrate that enterohemorrhagic strains (EHEC) should be considerated a causative agent of sporadic non-bloody diarrhoea. Our results suggest that toxin neutralization assay is a sensitive and specific technique and may be used as an alternative method to diagnose diarrhoeal infections caused by EHEC.
Evaluation of a vero cell toxicity test to detect EHEC infection / Cermelli, Claudio; Fabio, G; Casolari, C; Quaglio, P.. - In: NEW MICROBIOLOGICA. - ISSN 1121-7138. - STAMPA. - 25:2(2002), pp. 235-238.
Evaluation of a vero cell toxicity test to detect EHEC infection
CERMELLI, Claudio;
2002
Abstract
An epidemiologic investigation was carried out in Modena (Italy) to evaluate the prevalence of faecal VEROtoxin (FVT) in diarrhoeal stool specimens. One thousand and sixty-six stool specimens, submitted to the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory of the University Hospital of Modena, were collected and faecal filtrates tested for neutralizable cytotoxin by a toxicity test on VERO cells. Cytopathic effect on VERO cells was produced by 301 stool specimens (28%); neutralizable VT was detected in 40 (13%) out of 301 positive samples (3.7% of 1066 specimens). The prevalent FVT type was VT2 (50%), followed by VT1 (32.5%) and VT1+2 (17.5%). We evaluated an assay that detects both VTs directly from stool specimens to demonstrate that enterohemorrhagic strains (EHEC) should be considerated a causative agent of sporadic non-bloody diarrhoea. Our results suggest that toxin neutralization assay is a sensitive and specific technique and may be used as an alternative method to diagnose diarrhoeal infections caused by EHEC.
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