A Brief Overview of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Its Plasmid 0157

摘要

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a majorfoodborne pathogen causing severe disease in humansworldwide. Healthy cattle are a reservoir of E. coliO157:H7, and bovine food products and fresh producecontaminated with bovine waste are the most commonsources for disease outbreaks in the United States. E. coliO157:H7 also survives well in the environment. The abilitiesto cause human disease, colonize the bovine gastrointestinaltract, and survive in the environment require that E. coliO157:H7 adapt to a wide variety of conditions. Three majorvirulence factors of E. coil O157:H7 have been identifiedincluding Shiga toxins, products of the pathogenicity islandcalled the locus of enterocyte effacement, and products ofthe F-like plasmid pO157. Among these virulence factors,the role of pO157 is least understood. This review providesa board overview of E. coli O157:H7 with an emphasis onpO157.