Plasmid mediated properties of a heat stable enterotoxin producing Escherichia coli associated with infantile diarrhea

Abstract

The plasmid mediation and transmissibility of heat stable enterotoxin production and multiple antibiotic resistance have been demonstrated for E. coli O78:K80:H12 epidemiologically incriminated in a hospital outbreak of infantile diarrhea. The conjugal transfer of a 67 x 106 and a 30 x 106 dalton plasmid was associated with the transfer of resistances and enterotoxin production, respectively. Using antibiotics to select E. coli K 12 transconjugants from a one step bacterial cross, all of the monitored resistances were transferred concurrently, and 36% of the resistant transconjugants produced enterotoxin.