Evaluation of the Biken Test for the Detection of Lt-Producing Escherichia Coli

Abstract

A more detailed understanding of the role of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli as a cause of diarrhoea, and of its epidemiology and mode of transmission within the community has been hampered by the lack of simple, reliable laboratory procedures for the detection of these organisms. Present methods rely on animal models (suckling mouse, rabbit loop, rabbit skin), tissue culture procedures (Yl adrenal cells, CHO cells) or, more recently, passive immune haemolysis (PIH), and DNA hybridization techniques. Although reliable in the hands of experienced workers, these techniques are, nevertheless, relatively expensive and often require materials that are not available in routine laboratories, particularly in the developing countries. The development of simpler, reliable and inexpensive techniques for the detection of both the heat-stable (ST) and heat-labile (LT) toxins of E. coli has therefore been given high priority by the Diarrhoeal Diseases Control Programme.