O157 Shiga-like toxin-producing E.coli (O157 STEC) is a Gram-negative foodborne pathogen1 that can cause severe foodborne disease. A publication by Scallan et al.2 in 2011 estimated that 63,153 human foodborne O157 STEC cases, including 20 deaths, occur annually in the US. O157 Shiga-like toxin-producing E.coli (O157 STEC) is an enterohemorrhagic strain of the bacterium Escherichia coliand a cause of foodborne illness. Infection often leads to hemorrhagic diarrhea, and occasionally to kidney failure, especially in young children and elderly persons. Transmission is via the fecal-oral route, and most illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef, swimming in or drinking contaminated water, and eating contaminated vegetables.1
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John Sofos, Colorado State University, USA
Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska, USA
Pina Fratamico, USDA-ARS, USA
Jeff LeJuene, The Ohio State University, USA
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Additional resources on foodborne O157 STEC:
A number of key sources on foodborne O157 STEC are available. For a comprehensive overview on foodborne O157 STEC, we suggest the book "Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Other Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Strains". For public health advise on how to reduce the risk of foodborne O157 STEC infections, a number of WWW pages are available from the US CDC, including a factsheet on "Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)" and also a brief factsheet on "Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)".
References
1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli (see also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli_O157:H7)
2Scallan et al. 2011.Emerging Infectious Diseases 17:7-15 PMID:21192848
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