Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of a Commercial Reversed Passive Latex Agglutination Assay to an Enzyme Immunoassay for the Detection of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli

  • Concise Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A multicenter study was performed to compare the performance of a prototypic reversed passive latex agglutination assay (VTEC Screen “Seiken”; Denka-Seiken, Japan) with the Premier EHEC Enzyme Immunoassay (Meridian Diagnostics, USA) for the detection of Shiga toxin in 554 diarrheal stool samples. Standard culture on sorbitol MacConkey agar and the use of latex agglutination reagents were included to identify the Escherichia coli O157, O26 and O111 serotypes. There was 99% agreement between the VTEC screen and enzyme immunoassay (kappa=0.823). Seventeen samples were positive for toxin by one or both assays. One toxin-positive sample using the enzyme immunoassay and four positive samples using the VTEC Screen could not be confirmed. Serotypes identified included: O157:H7 (n=8), O26 (n=2), O111 (n=1) and O45:H2 (n=1). The VTEC screen is easy to perform and comparable to the Meridian EHEC test for detection of Shiga toxin in clinical samples.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Banatvala N, Griffin PM, Greene KD, Barrett TJ, Bibb WF, Green JH, Wells JG and the Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Study Collaborators (2001) The United States National prospective hemolytic uremic syndrome study: microbiologic, serologic, clinical and epidemiologic findings. J Infect Dis 183:1063–1070

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Karch H, Bielaszewska M, Bitzan M, Schmidt H (1999) Epidemiology and diagnosis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infections. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 34:229–243

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Tarr PI (1995) Escherichia coli O157:H7: clinical, diagnostic, and epidemiological aspects of human infection. Clin Infect Dis 20:1–10

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Tarr PI, Neill MA (1996) Perspective: the problem of non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin (Verocytotoxin)-producing Escherichia coli. J Infect Dis 174:1136–1139

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Park CH, Kim HJ, Hixon DL (2002) Importance of testing stool specimens for Shiga toxins. J Clin Microbiol 40:3542–3543

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Chiao E, Mottice S, Dowdle G, Daly J, Barton C, Carroll KC (2000) Demographic data, virulence factors and clinical findings of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in Utah. In: Abstracts of the 40th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, no.904

  7. Fey PD, Wickert RS, Rupp ME, Safranek TJ, Hinrichs SH (2000) Prevalence of non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in diarrheal stool samples from Nebraska. Emerg Infect Dis 6:530–533

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Novicki TJ, Daly JS, Mottice SL, Carroll KC (2000) Comparison of sorbitol MacConkey agar and a two-step method which utilizes a chromogenic agar to detect and isolate enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. J Clin Microbiol 38:547–551

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kehl KS, Havens P, Behnke CE, Acheson DWK (1997) Evaluation of the Premier EHEC Assay for detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli. J Clin Microbiol 35:2051–2054

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kehl SC (2002) Role of the laboratory in the diagnosis of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections. J Clin Microbiol 40:2711–2715

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Paton JC, Paton AW (1998) Pathogenesis and diagnosis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infections. Clin Microbiol Rev 11:450–479

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Farmer JJ III (2003) Enterobacteriaceae: introduction and identification. In: Murray PR, Baron EJ, Jorgensen JH, Pfaller MA, Yolken RH (eds) Manual of clinical microbiology, 8th edn. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, pp 636–653

  13. Bettelheim KA (2001) Development of a rapid method for the detection of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC). Lett Applied Microbiol 33:31–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Beutin L, Zimmerman S, Gleier K (2002) Evaluation of the VTEC-Screen “Seiken” test for detection of different types of Shiga toxin (verotoxin)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in human stool samples. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 42:1–8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Chart H, Willshaw GA, Cheasty T (2001) Evaluation of a reversed passive latex agglutination test for the detection of Verocytotoxin (VT) expressed by strains of VT-producing Escherichia coli. Lett Applied Microbiol 32:370–374

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by Denka-Seiken. The authors wish to thank James Dunn, PhD, for his critical review of the manuscript. This study was performed in compliance with human subjects research regulations in the USA.

Author information

Author notes

  1. K. C. Carroll

    Present address: Microbiology Division, Department of Pathology, Meyer B1-193, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, ARUP Laboratories, Inc./ University of Utah, 500 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA

    K. C. Carroll, K. Adamson & A. Croft

  2. Department of Pathology, Primary Children’s Medical Center, 100 N. Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84113-1100, USA

    K. Korgenski, R. Hankemeier & J. Daly

  3. Microbiology Laboratory, Inova Fairfax Hospital, 3300 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA, 22042-3734, USA

    C. H. Park

Authors
  1. K. C. Carroll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Adamson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. Korgenski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Croft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R. Hankemeier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. Daly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. C. H. Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. C. Carroll.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Carroll, K.C., Adamson, K., Korgenski, K. et al. Comparison of a Commercial Reversed Passive Latex Agglutination Assay to an Enzyme Immunoassay for the Detection of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli . Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 22, 689–692 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-003-1053-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-003-1053-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation