Variation in the Shiga toxin region of 20th-century epidemic and endemic Shigella dysenteriae 1 strains.

The Shiga toxin (Stx) region of Shigella dysenteriae 1 lies on a defective prophage homologous to lambdoid bacteriophages in Stx-producing Escherichia coli. S. dysenteriae 1 strains obtained in locations throughout the world over the course of the past 60 years were assessed for variations in the Stx region by use of polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis. The defective prophage was present in all strains examined, suggesting that all S. dysenteriae 1 isolates derive from a clone that resulted from a single phage-integration event. All western-hemisphere strains have an additional iso-IS1 insertion element upstream of stxAB, implying that there has been minimal exchange of strains between hemispheres in recent decades.