Escherichia coli strains isolated from the urine and stools of outpatients with urianry tract infections, from the stools of hospitalized parturient women and infants, and from the vulvar smear and stools of pregnant women visiting hospital were studied to know the relationship between serologic distribution of
E. coli and hemolytic and necrotic activities. The following findings were obtained:
1) The number of
E. coli strains of 0-1, 0-2, 0-4 and 0-6 accounted for about a half of 358 strains which proved to be of a different distribution from that of
E. coli found in the normal stooL
2) Out of 358 strains 109 (30.4%) were found to be hemolytic. This means that incidence of hemolytic strains is higher than that found in the normal stool.
3)
E. coli strains of 0-4 and 0-6 proved to have a particularly high incidence of hemolytic strains, whereas the strains of 0-1 and 0-13 showed a low ratio.
4) The necrotic activity of
E. coli was studied in 177 strains in which 37.2% of the strains were determined as necrotic.
5) The strains of 0-4, 0-6 and 0-18 showed a high ratio of necrotic activity.
6)
E. coli strains of 0-1, 0-2, 0-4, 0-6, 0-18 and 0-75 isolated from the urinary tract infection cases were collectively designated as a special type and the others as a general type.
A comparison between the two types of strains showed a different ratio of necrotic incidence, 49.6% for the special type and 6.0% for the general type.
7) Examination of the relationship between hemolytic and necrotic activities showed that 73.8% of 65 hemolytic strains were necrotic, whereas 34.8% of 112 non-hemolytic strains were found to be necrotic ; on the other hand, 55.1% of 87 necrotic strains were hemolytic, whereas 18.8 % of 90 non-necrotic strains were found to be hemolytic.
Thus, a correlation was demonstrated between the two activities.
8) The strains of 0-4 constituted 84.2% of the hemolytic strains while the strains of 0-6 85.2% of the necrotic strains.
The percentage of the strains which were necrotic but non-hemolytic was 60.6% for 0-1 and 80.0% for 0-18.
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