An outbreak of diarrhea caused by enteroinvasive Escherichia coli O136:K78

Objective determine the pathogen of a foodborne outbreak of diarrhea. Methods On the basis of epidemiological investigation, eighteen rectal swabs and 2 stool samples from the patients and 1 stool sample from a cook were collected. After pathogen isolation and culture, the biochemical identification of the isolated strains was performed,the invasive plasmid antigen H gene (ipaH) of the positive strains were detected by real-time PCR and the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis homology analysis was conducted. Results Eleven strains of enteroinvasive Escherichia coli O136:K78 were isolated. All the samples, except 1 rectal swab, were positive in real time PCR, and the PFGE patterns of all the strains, except one, were consistent. Conclusion The enteroinvasive Escherichia coli O136:K78 with ipaH gene was the pathogen to cause the outbreak of diarrhea.