Dataset of changes in viscosity of Escherichia albertii cultures during storage at room temperature

Escherichia albertii was named in 2003 as a new species in the genus Escherichia and is known as a causative agent of diarrhea. Although the biochemical characteristics of E. albertii are not specific for differentiating it from other species, it is now possible to identify the species by PCR targeting specific genes. Among about 100 strains of E. albertii at our institution, only one strain was viscous, but we examined the change in viscosity because some of the strains acquired viscosity during storage. The target strain was the strain with viscosity change, and the controls were the viscous strain, E. albertii JCM strain, and E. coli ATCC strain. Biochemical properties, drug susceptibility, and string tests were performed under various conditions. No significant differences were observed in biochemical properties and drug susceptibility tests. In the string test of the viscous strain, the viscous colonies did not show any significant change in viscosity with passaging, especially the non-viscous colonies did not show any change in viscosity. Similarly, there was no change in the viscosity of either the viscous or the non-viscous colonies by passaging in the strain with altered viscosity. Neither the length of the storage period nor the casitone concentration affected the viscosity change. The change in viscosity was related to the storage of the strain at room temperature, suggesting that the process from the clinical specimen to the storage after isolation may have affected the change in viscosity.