Enterobacter cloacae producing a Shiga-like toxin II-related cytotoxin associated with a case of hemolytic-uremic syndrome

Abstract

Two Shiga-like toxin-producing organisms were isolated from the feces of an infant with hemolytic-uremic syndrome by PCR followed by colony blot hybridization. One strain was identified as Escherichia coli OR:H9, while the other was identified as Enterobacter cloacae. Both isolates were highly cytotoxic for Vero cells, and Southern hybridization analysis of chromosomal DNA indicated that both contained a single slt-II-related gene and that these genes were located on similarly sized restriction fragments. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that the toxin encoded by the E. cloacae slt-II- related gene was very similar to Shiga-like toxin II variants from E. coli, differing from the most closely related toxin by 3 residues in the A subunit.