[Isolation of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H16 identified in a diarrhea case in a child and his household contacts in La Pampa Province, Argentina].

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a major causative agent of acute diarrhea in children in developing countries. This pathotype is divided into typical EPEC (tEPEC) and atypical EPEC (aEPEC), based on the presence of the bfp virulence factor associated with adhesion, encoded in the pEAF plasmid. In the present study, the isolation of aEPEC O157:H16 from a bloody diarrhea case in a child and his household contacts (mother, father and sister) is described. The strain was characterized as E. coli O157:H16 eae-ɛ-positive, sorbitol fermenter with β-glucuronidase activity, susceptible to all antimicrobials tested, and negative for virulence factors stx1, stx2, ehxA and bfp. XbaI-PFGE performed on all isolates showed the AREXHX01.1040 macrorestriction pattern, with 100% similarity. These results highlight the importance of epidemiological surveillance of E. coli O157-associated diarrhea cases identified in children and their family contacts, as well as the incorporation of molecular techniques that allow the detection of the different E. coli pathotypes.