Acute diarrhoea due to a Shiga toxin 2e-producing Escherichia coli O8 : H19

Introduction. Identification of non-O157 Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections may be underestimated in microbiological diagnosis. Case presentation. A 58-year-old woman developed diarrhoea with watery and subsequently mucous stool. Initial multiplex PCR testing revealed a positive result for stx(2). Culture isolation of a STEC was successful only after repeated inoculation of chromogenic E. coli media. Molecular characterization was performed and identified the isolate as stx (2e)-positive STEC of serotype O8 : H19. The strain harboured lpfA, but not eae. Conclusion. This case highlights the usefulness of initial multiplex PCR for diagnosis of non-O157 STEC infection.