Alkaline Phosphatase-Conjugated Oligonucleotide Probes for Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in Travelers to South America and West Africa
Abstract
Escherichia coli produces toxins which cause diarrhea in humans. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is among the most frequent enteric pathogens associated with diarrheal disease episodes in developing countries. Studies of travelers to less developed areas have shown that an average of 36% of diarrhea cases are associated with ETEC. ETEC infections also occur in a high proportion of children in developing countries. Methods for detection of ETEC include the suckling mouse assay for heat-stable toxin (ST) and the Y1 adrenal cell assay for heat-labile toxin (LT). Both bioassays can be costly, time consuming, and difficult to run in a hospital or clinical laboratory. The development of synthetic oligonucleotides of only 20 to 30 bases has the potential to simplify and speed up probe detection assays. Recently, oligonucleotide probes specific for ST and LT have been conjugated directly with alkaline phosphatase, thus making a cold probe which does not require special equipment and can be visually interpreted. In this study, two enzyme-labeled oligonucleotide probes were compared with the standard suckling mouse and Y1 assays for their ability to identify ETEC in a population of North America adult males experiencing acute episodes of diarrhea in South America and West Africa. This group also provided an opportunity to evaluate these probes by using a collection of E. coli isolates from several diverse geographic regions. Reprints; Bioassay.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA202744
Entities
People
- Chris H. Gardiner
- Donald Burr
- John P. Oprandy
- Roger Batchelor
- Scott A. Thornton
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center