Hybridization of Escherichia coli producing Shiga-like toxin I, Shiga-like toxin II, and a variant of Shiga-like toxin II with synthetic oligonucleotide probes.

Synthetic oligonucleotides, constructed from the nucleotide sequences of genes coding for the A subunit of Shiga-like toxin (SLT) I and the B subunit of SLT-II, were used as probes at different degrees of stringency to identify Escherichia coli producing different types of SLTs. At 45 degrees C, the A-I oligonucleotide probe hybridized with E. coli producing SLT-I, SLT-II, and variant of SLT-II (SLT-IIv). At 53 degrees C, only SLT-I-producing E. coli hybridized with this probe. At 45 degrees C, the B-II oligonucleotide probe hybridized with SLT-II- and SLT-IIv-producing E. coli. At 53 degrees C, this probe hybridized with only SLT-II-producing E. coli. The A-I and B-II oligonucleotide probes were subsequently tested for hybridization with 73 SLT-producing E. coli and 49 non-SLT-producing E. coli isolated in Asia and Canada. At 45 degrees C, the A-I oligomer had a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 100% in identifying SLT-producing E. coli. At 53 degrees C, the A-I oligonucleotide probe had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 91% in identifying E. coli containing genes encoding SLT-I. At 45 degrees C, the B-II oligonucleotide had a 100% sensitivity and 97% specificity in identifying E. coli that hybridized with the SLT-II probe. Of 17 E. coli that hybridized only with the SLT-II probe, 10 did not hybridize with the B-II oligonucleotide at 53 degrees C. All 10 isolates were cytotoxic to Vero cells but not to HeLa cells, confirming that the B-II oligonucleotide probe used at 53 degrees C will differentiate isolates producing SLT-II and SLT-IIv.