Pathogenic Escherichia coli

Abstract

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Some strains of Escherichia coli cause disease of the gastrointestinal tract. A subgroup of these, the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, which includes E. coli O157:H7, are common commensals of ruminant food animals. Numerous outbreaks of severe and often fatal human disease have been caused by these strains. Substantial work has been done to understand their clinical characteristics and ecology as well as to control them on farm and during meat processing.