The Importance of Sample Size in Studies Based upon the Serologic Classification of Escherichia coli.

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Abstract
The total number of different serological O groups in individual specimens was determined by a study of Escherichia coli isolated from feces, urine, the vagina, and blood. The serologic heterogeneity of the fecal coliform flora was confirmed. Ninety per cent of urines contained only a single E. coli group regardless of the number of organisms present. The vaginal flora was composed of a single group less frequently than the organisms isolated from urine, but was not so heterogenous as that of the feces. E. coli recovered from blood was invariably of a single group. The importance of sample size was demonstrated in the study of stool specimens. Most O groups present were identified by an examination of only five colonies but the possibility of identifying additional strains was not exhausted by a study of as many as 25 colonies. The chances of finding new O groups by a study of more than five colonies were greater in those specimens that initially contained more than one O group.

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