RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The use of serodiagnosis in the retrospective investigation of a nursery outbreak associated with Escherichia coli O157:H7.
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 498
OP 501
DO 10.1136/jcp.51.7.498
VO 51
IS 7
A1 T Cheasty
A1 R Robertson
A1 H Chart
A1 P Mannion
A1 Q Syed
A1 R Garvey
A1 B Rowe
YR 1998
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/51/7/498.abstract
AB AIMS: To use serology to investigate an outbreak of verocytotoxin (VT) producing Escherichia coli O157 in a hospital nursery, following the detection of faecal E coli O157 (phage type 49) producing VT type 2. METHODS: ELISA and immunoblotting techniques, based on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) purified from E coli O157; diagnostic bacteriology; serotyping and phage typing; DNA probes for VT. RESULTS: 29 of 126 sera contained antibodies to the LPS of E coli O157: 10 were from children, three were from staff, and 11 were from hospital kitchen staff. Five parents of children attending the nursery were antibody positive. Sixty four sera from other hospital staff and controls did not contain antibodies to the LPS of E coli O157. CONCLUSIONS: Serology detected evidence of infection with E coli O157 in 23% of sera examined. By bacteriology alone, only a single case of infection with E coli O157 would have been detected. Serology is valuable in providing evidence of infection with E coli O157.