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
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne O157 STEC in the US and Canada include:
Chobi DebRoy, Penn State University, USA
Guy Loneragan, Texas Tech University, USA
Mindi Brashears, Texas Tech University, USA
John Sofos, Colorado State University, USA
Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska, USA
Pina Fratamico, USDA-ARS, USA
Jeff LeJuene, The Ohio State University, USA
Meat Animal Research Center, USDA-ARS, USA
Charles Kaspar, University of Wisconsin-Maddison, USA
Shannon Manning, Michigan State University, USA
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne O157 STEC in Europe include:
A. Havelaar, Centre for Prevention and Health Services Research, The Netherlands
B. Lindstedt, Department of Foodborne Infections, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne O157 STEC in South and Latin America include:
Key laboratories studying various aspects of foodborne O157 STEC in Asia and Australia include:
F. Kasuga, National Institute of Health Sciences Biomedical Food Research, Japan
Y. Goto, Miyazaki Prefectural Institute for Public Health and Environment, Japan
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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