15 Porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) continue to result in major morbidity 16 and mortality to the swine industry via post-weaning diarrhea. The key virulence 17 factors of these strains, their serotypes, and their fimbrial components have been 18 well studied. However, most studies to date have focused on plasmid-encoded traits 19 related to colonization and toxin production, and...

Human challenges with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) have broadened our understanding of this important enteropathogen. We report findings from the first challenge studies using ETEC-expressing colonization factor fimbria CS17 and CS19. LSN03-016011/A (LT, CS17) elicited a dose-dependent effect, with the upper dose (6 × 10(9) organisms) causing diarrhea in 88% of recipients. WS0115A (L...

An enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strain isolated from a calf with clinical scours was found to produce over 17- to 60-fold more heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) than four laboratory-adapted bovine ETEC strains. The purified STa of this strain was identical to those produced by other ETEC strains. A severe form of scours was induced in 5- to 15-day-old colostrum-fed calves and in 1- to 2-...

BACKGROUND Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are the leading bacterial cause of diarrhea to humans and farm animals. These ETEC strains produce heat-labile toxin (LT) and/or heat-stable toxins that include type I (STa), type II (STb), and enteroaggregative heat-stable toxin 1 (EAST1). LT, STa, and STb (in pigs) are proven the virulence determinants in ETEC diarrhea. However, signi...

ETEC is an underrecognized but extremely important cause of diarrhea in the developing world where there is inadequate clean water and poor sanitation. It is the most frequent bacterial cause of diarrhea in children and adults living in these areas and also the most common cause of traveler's diarrhea. ETEC diarrhea is most frequently seen in children, suggesting that a protective immune respon...

BACKGROUND Integrin beta-5 (ITGB5) and mucin 13 (MUC13) genes are highly expressed on the apical surface of intestinal epithelia and are thought to be candidate genes for controlling the expression of the receptor for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4ac. Human MUC13 protein has an expected role in protecting intestinal mucosal surfaces and porcine ITGB5 is a newly identified potential ...

In intact neonatal piglets, two strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), which could adhere to epithelial cells and thus colonize the small intestine, attracted greater numbers of neutrophils into the lumen and wall of the intestine than did a nonenteropathogenic strain of E. coli. Ligated loops of small intestine in 8-week-old pigs were used in attempts to identify the attributes of...

Diarrheal illness contributes to malnutrition, stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and high morbidity rates in children worldwide. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major contributor to this diarrheal disease burden. ETEC cause disease in the small intestine by means of colonization factors and by production of a heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and/or a small non-immunogenic...

Background.  Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are not detected by conventional culture methods. The prevalence of ETEC infections in the United States is unknown, and recognized cases are primarily associated with foreign travel. Gaps remain in our understanding of STEC epidemiology. Methods.  Two sentinel surveillance sites were enrolled...