Characterization of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 isolates causing haemolytic uraemic syndrome in France

1 Service de Microbiologie, Laboratoire associé au Centre National de Référence Escherichia coli–Shigella , Hôpital Robert Debré, 75019 Paris, France 2 Centre National de Référence Escherichia coli–Shigella , INSERM U389, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France Correspondence Patricia Mariani-Kurkdjian patricia.mariani{at}rdb.ap-hop-paris.fr Received July 26, 2004 Accepted October 8, 2004 Forty-seven non-epidemic Escherichia coli O157 : H7 isolates causing haemolytic uraemic syndrome in France were characterized. The isolates clustered into 36 clones using PFGE typing. All the isolates harboured eae and one or more copies of stx2 and belonged to phylogenetic group D. Nine per cent were resistant to amoxicillin. Abbreviation: HUS, haemolytic uraemic syndrome.