

@article {14278,
	title = {Clonal relationships among {Escherichia} coli strains that cause hemorrhagic colitis and infantile diarrhea},
	journal = {Infect Immun},
	volume = {61},
	number = {5},
	year = {1993},
	pages = {1619{\textendash}1629},
	abstract = {The genetic relationships among 1,300 isolates of Escherichia coli representing 16 serotypes associated with enteric disease, including O157:H7 strains recovered from patients with hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome and O26:H11, O55:H6, O55:H7, O111:H2, and O128:H2 strains, many of which were isolated originally from infants with diarrhea, were estimated from allelic variation among 20 enzyme-encoding genes detected by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. Multiple electrophoretic types were observed among isolates of each serotype, with isolates of the same O serogroup differing on average at 28\% of the enzyme loci. Comparisons of the multilocus enzyme profiles revealed that 72\% of the isolates belong to 15 major electrophoretic types, each of which corresponds to a bacterial clone with a wide geographic distribution. Genetically, the O157:H7 clone is most closely related to a clone of O55:H7 strains that has long been associated with worldwide outbreaks of infantile diarrhea. We propose that the new pathogen emerged when an O55:H7-like progenitor, already possessing a mechanism for adherence to intestinal cells, acquired secondary virulence factors (Shiga-like cytotoxins and plasmid-encoded adhesins) via horizontal transfer and recombination.},
	author = {Whittam, T S and Wolfe, M L and Wachsmuth, I K and Orskov, F and Orskov, I and Wilson, R A}
}
