Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli O104:H4

Abstract

Escherichia coli are largely commensal bacteria residing in the mucus layer of the mammalian colon. However, several strains have virulence attributes that give them the capacity to cause diarrheal, urogenic, or systemic illnesses. Pathogenic E coli have been categorized into several pathotypes, each causing illness with distinctive features, and 6 pathotypes, including enterohemorrhagic E coli (EHEC), enterotoxogenic E coli (ETEC), and enteroaggregative E coli (EAEC), are associated with intestinal disease. 1 These may also be subdivided into serogroups and serotypes based on their lipopolysaccharide (O) or flagellar (H) antigens.