New approaches for severity intervention and rapid diagnosis of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli: a review

Abstract

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are important pathogenic E. coli characterized by the production of Shiga toxin, intimin, and enterohemolysin, which are important virulence factors for pathogenesis. These virulence factors are the cause of enterocyte extinction and affect both intestinal cells and various extraintestinal cells such as lymphocytes, granulocytes, erythrocytes, and renal cells. The resultant severe bloody diarrhea and colonic infections are associated with life-threatening extraintestinal complications, leading to high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although EHEC has been responsible for large outbreaks around the world, research into effective therapies to prevent and treat the infection in a timely manner and affordable diagnostic tests remains a challenge due to the complicated nature of the bacteria. This review addresses previous studies, the current status, and prospects regarding the severity, treatment, and diagnosis of EHEC with a focus on a new finding on the use of simple point of care diagnostic procedures.