EHEC Verotoxin ELISA

Enterobacteriaceae of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) type are constituents of a healthy intestinal flora in humans, but also in many farm animals. Therefore they are also considered an indicator of fecal contamination of bodies of water and foods. These are gram-negative, optionally anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria that can move by peritrichous flagellation. Based on O-antigens (LPS of the outer membrane) and H-antigens (flagellar antigens), E. coli can be divided into various serovars. E. coli must be considered optionally pathogenic due to various pathogenicity factors which are often plasmid encoded or transmitted by phages. Since 1977, E. coli have been known that can produce two cytotoxins, verotoxin 1 and verotoxin 2. The genes for these verotoxins (VT) are located on the chromosome in the region of a prophage. E. coli have been isolated that included both genes or just one of the two. Because of the similarity of the verotoxins to the shiga toxin from Shigella dysenteriae, they are also called shiga-like toxins I and II (SLT-I and -II). A part of these verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) can cause severe diarrheas by forming further pathogenicity factors. The Verotoxin ELISA requires a stool enrichment mTSB broth to be purchased separately (catalog 86-VTXBR-100).