Characterization of Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Patients with Diarrhea in São Paulo, Brazil: Identification of Intermediate Virulence Factor Profiles by Multiplex PCR

Intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli is a major causative agent of severe diarrhea. in this study the prevalences of different pathotypes among 702 E. coli isolates from Brazilian patients with diarrhea were determined by multiplex PCR. Interestingly, most strains were enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) strains, followed by atypical EPEC (ATEC) strains. Classical enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains were not detected.Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Medical Faculty of the University of MunsterZentrum Molekularbiol Entzundung ZMBE, Inst Infektiol, D-48149 Munster, GermanyUniv Munster, Inst Hyg, Munster, GermanyUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilFleury Diagnost, São Paulo, BrazilRobert Koch Inst, Wernigerode, GermanyUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilBundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (BMBF): PTJ-BIO/0313937CDeutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD): PROBRAL D/06/33942CAPES: PROBRAL 770/200Medical Faculty of the University of Munster: BD9817044Web of Scienc