Results of a screening method used in a 12-month stool survey for XXXX O157:H7.

@entity1 @entity548 @entity5121 @entity294 @entity526
@entity526 serotype O157:H7 has been epidemiologically linked to outbreaks of @entity548 associated with fast-food restaurants and nursing homes. Sporadic cases now exceed those associated with outbreaks. The incidence of the organism in @entity1 with common @entity294 syndromes and in asymptomatic @entity1 is unknown. Routine serotyping of @entity526 isolates is impractical for most clinical microbiology laboratories. We developed a screening plate by utilizing @entity5121 fermentation as a biochemical marker to identify organisms for serotyping. A total of 2,552 stool samples were screened. In 106 (4.1%), @entity5121 -negative @entity526 were identified. Of these, two were serotype O157:H7, and both produced a Vero cell toxin. One @entity1 had @entity548 and the other a mild, febrile, self-limited @entity294 with no other bacterial pathogen identified. This plate provides an easy, effective method of screening for @entity5121 -negative @entity526 , a process facilitating the selection of organisms for serotyping and one that may help clarify this organism's role in @entity1 disease.
