| Escherichia coli O157:H7 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Topographical images of colonies of E. coli O157:H7 strains (A) 43895OW (curli non-producing) and (B) 43895OR (curli producing) grown on agar for 48 h at 28°C | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a serotype of the bacterial species Escherichia coli and is one of the Shiga-like toxin–producing types of E. coli. It is a cause of disease, typically foodborne illness, through consumption of contaminated and raw food, including raw milk and undercooked ground beef.[1][2] Infection with this type of pathogenic bacteria may lead to hemorrhagic diarrhea, and to kidney failure; these have been reported to cause the deaths of children younger than five years of age, of elderly patients, and of patients whose immune systems are otherwise compromised.
Transmission is via the fecal–oral route, and most illness has been through distribution of contaminated raw leaf green vegetables, undercooked meat and raw milk.[3]
- ^ Gally DL, Stevens MP (January 2017). "Microbe Profile: Escherichia coli O157:H7 - notorious relative of the microbiologist's workhorse" (PDF). Microbiology. 163 (1): 1–3. doi:10.1099/mic.0.000387. PMID 28218576.
- ^ Karch H, Tarr PI, Bielaszewska M (October 2005). "Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli in human medicine". International Journal of Medical Microbiology. 295 (6–7): 405–18. doi:10.1016/j.ijmm.2005.06.009. PMID 16238016.
- ^ "Reports of Selected E. coli Outbreak Investigations". CDC.gov. 2019-11-22.