Origins of the E. coli strain causing an outbreak of hemolytic-uremic syndrome in Germany.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A large outbreak of diarrhea and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome caused by an unusual serotype of Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (O104:H4) began in Germany in May 2011. As of July 22, a large number of cases of diarrhea caused by Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli have been reported--3167 without the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (16 deaths) and 908 with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (34 deaths)--indicating that this strain is notably more virulent than most of the Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli strains. Preliminary genetic characterization of the outbreak strain suggested that, unlike most of these strains, it should be classified within the enteroaggregative pathotype of E. coli.

Methods

We used third-generation, single-molecule, real-time DNA sequencing to determin

SUBMITTER: Rasko DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3168948 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature