Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) causes severe illness in humans, including hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. A parallel evolutionary model was proposed in which E. coli strains of distinct phylogenies independently integrate Shiga toxin-encoding genes and evolve into STEC. We report the draft genomes of two emerging non-O157 STEC strains.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O84 isolates (n = 22) were examined using culture- and molecularly based methods in order to compare their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. These analyses directly linked Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O84 isolates from cattle and sheep with human isolates indicating that New Zealand livestock may be a reservoir of infection.

In the context of a large outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 in Germany, we quantified the timeliness of the German surveillance system for hemolytic uremic syndrome and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli notifiable diseases during 2003-2011. Although reporting occurred faster than required by law, potential for improvement exists at all levels of the information chain.

Addition of Shiga toxin 2 to human bone marrow or cord blood cell culture induced macrophage-granulocyte colonies. Although Shiga toxin 2 alone induced colonies mainly composed of macrophages, it induced colonies mainly consisting of granulocytes when combined with physiological doses of interleukin-1beta, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, or stem cell factor with interleukin-3.

Enterobacter cloacae strain M12X01451 was isolated from a patient with mild diarrhea. This strain produces a novel subtype of Shiga toxin 1, Stx1e. The Stx1e-converting prophage in strain M12X01451 is stable and can infect other bacteria following induction. Here we report the complete genome sequence and annotation of strain M12X01451.

A triplex PCR method was developed to simultaneously amplify a heat-labile toxin sequence (LT) of 258 bp, a shiga-like toxin I sequence (SLT I) of 130 bp, and a shiga-like toxin II sequence (SLT II) of 346 bp from toxigenic strains of Escherichia coli. This method was used to screen 377 environmental E. coli isolates from marine waters or estuaries located in Southern California and North Carol...

The presence of commensal flora reduced colonization of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and production of Shiga toxin (Stx) in the murine intestine. Stx production was not detected in mice colonized with E. coli that were resistant to the Shiga toxin phage, but it was detected in mice colonized with phage-susceptible E. coli.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) may cause bloody diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis (HC), with subsequent systemic disease. Since genes coding for Shiga toxins (stx genes) are located on lambdoid prophages, their effective production occurs only after prophage induction. Such induction and subsequent lytic development of Shiga toxin-converting bacteriophages results not only in prod...

An immunomagnetic bead time-resolved fluorescence assay (IMB-TRF) was developed for the detection of Shiga-like toxins I and II (SLT I and II) from Shiga-like toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Twenty-five gram of ground beef patties were inoculated with 1 CFU/g of O157 or non-O157 (STEC) stored at 7C for 5 h and incubated with 100 mL added EC broth at 37C and 140 r.p.m. shaking for 20 h....