A cholera-coli related enterotoxin production by different Shigella species.

A cholera-coli related enterotoxin production was studied in 50 different Shigella isolates from cases of childhood diarrhoea. Four out of 6 Sh. dysenteriae, 18/37 Sh. flexneri and 2/4 Sh. sonnei were found to be enterotoxin producers by RIL test. All strong RIL positive strains were isolated from cases of severe diarrhoea, indicating the association of enterotoxin production and severity of acute diarrhoea. Two major protein bands were observed in SDS-PAGE and W.B. EIA assay in all positive RIL extracts. These immuno-reactive bands were at 31 kDa and 14 kDa positions resembling A-B subunit structure of cholera-coli family of enterotoxins.