Author:
Mukhallad A. Ramadhan and Khalil H. Aljeboori
Page: 30-37
Published online: 22 Sep 2025
https://doi.org/10.36478/acejrsb.2025.30.37
Characterization of non‐O157 enterotoxogenic Escherichia coli, particularly the important strains that cause severe illnesses has lagged considerably behind that of strain O157. In this study specification of enterotoxogenic E coli from other non‐ O157 was accomplished by PCR by using primers for wbdI (O antigen‐ encoding gene cluster). Virulence of the detected strains was determined by detection of (stx1, stx2, eae and hlyA) virulence factors genes by multiplex PCR technique in order to determine the aggressiveness of the strains. Later on the wbdI gene was sequenced in order to confirm the PCR results. Results showed that the number of ETEC isolates confirmed by PCR was 8; among which 6 from human diarrheal cases and 2 from beef samples. Regarding human isolates, molecular detection of virulence factors genes showed that two of human stool isolates had the 4 virulence genes and 3 had three genes. Two strains out of the three contained (stx1, eae, hlyA) and one contain (stx1, stx2, eae). One of human stool isolates contains two virulence genes (stx1, stx2). In the beef isolates the results showed that one of them contains (stx1, stx2) and the other contains (eae, hlyA). The present study concludes that the ETEC is found in both beef samples and human stool, this may indicate the risk of transmission from animal to the human through the contaminated meat.