Rapid Identification and Differentiation of Clinical Isolates of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Atypical EPEC, and Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli by a One-Step Multiplex PCR Method

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), atypical enteropathogenic E. coli, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli differ in their virulence factor profiles, clinical manifestations, and prognosis, and they require different therapeutic measures. We developed and evaluated a robust multiplex PCR to identify these pathogroups based on sequences complementary to escV, bfpB, stx1, and stx2.