Article
Microbiology
Danielle M. Tack, Hannah M. Kisselburgh, LaTonia C. Richardson, Aimee Geissler, Patricia M. Griffin, Daniel C. Payne, Brigette L. Gleason
Summary: The study summarizes the epidemiology and transmission routes of STEC outbreaks in the United States from 2010 to 2017, finding that foodborne transmission is the most common route, and there are differences between O157 and non-O157 outbreaks in terms of food sources, demographic characteristics, and severity.
Article
Microbiology
Heather Glassman, Christina Ferrato, Linda Chui
Summary: Non-O157 serogroups of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) play a significant role in disease burden, but are often overlooked by traditional detection methods. This study investigated the epidemiology of non-O157 STEC in Alberta, Canada from 2018 to 2021. The results showed increased detection during the summer months, with the most common serogroups being O26, O103, O111, O121, O118, and O71. Further characterization of their virulence factors and clinical impact is necessary.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ariel Amadio, James L. Bono, Matias Irazoqui, Mariano Larzabal, Wanderson Marques da Silva, Maria Florencia Eberhardt, Nahuel A. Riviere, David Gally, Shannon D. Manning, Angel Cataldi
Summary: Genomic analysis of EHEC O157:H7 isolates from cattle in Argentina revealed that most strains belong to hypervirulent Clade 8, with a specific genotype and 13 to 16 prophages per genome. Diversity in toxins encoded by different prophages and specific gene clusters may be associated with virulence production.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Deborah Hoyle, Marianne Keith, Helen Williamson, Kareen Macleod, Heather Mathie, Ian Handel, Carol Currie, Anne Holmes, Lesley Allison, Rebecca McLean, Rebecca Callaby, Thibaud Porphyre, Sue C. Tongue, Madeleine K. Henry, Judith Evans, George J. Gunn, David L. Gally, Nuno Silva, Margo E. Chase-Topping
Summary: Cattle in Scotland have a high prevalence of non-O157 serogroups O103 and O26 as well as high levels of Shiga toxin presence. Multiple serogroups are detected in herds and exhibit regional and seasonal effects on prevalence. This study emphasizes the potential risk to public health from non-O157 STEC in Scottish cattle.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
David A. Montero, Richard Garcia-Betancourt, Roberto M. Vidal, Juliana Velasco, Pablo A. Palacios, Daniela Schneider, Carolina Vega, Leonardo Gomez, Hernan Montecinos, Rodrigo Soto-Shara, Angel Onate, Leandro J. Carreno
Summary: Researchers have developed a chimeric protein-based vaccine targeting seven virulence factors of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), which elicited significant immune responses in mice and provided protection against infection. However, further improvement is needed to enhance the vaccine's efficacy and explore other potential mechanisms of protection.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Elena Navarro-Palomares, Lorena Garcia-Hevia, Esperanza Padin-Gonzalez, Manuel Banobre-Lopez, Juan C. Villegas, Rafael Valiente, Monica L. Fanarraga
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of molecular cues from the Shiga toxin to target nanomaterials into head and neck cancer cells. By coating nanoparticles with a recombinant chimera protein, specific cellular responses can be activated predictably. This functionalization strategy can transform inert nanomaterials into hybrid nanosystems capable of identifying specific receptors and triggering specific cellular responses.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Helen Zhang, Etsuko Yamamoto, Johanna Murphy, Catherine Carrillo, Annie Locas
Summary: This study investigated the occurrence of STEC in Canadian retail raw ground pork and found the presence of both O157 and non-O157 STEC strains. The virulence gene profiles suggest that non-O157 STEC capable of causing severe human illness are rare in Canadian retail pork, with O157 STEC occasionally occurring. Education regarding the potential risks associated with STEC contamination of pork would be beneficial to help reduce foodborne illnesses.
JOURNAL OF FOOD PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jie Hu, Yifan Wu, Xingjian Zhou, Luyuan Kang, Shiyi Zhang, Yisi Liu, Yu Pi, Xilong Li, Junjun Wang, Dandan Han
Summary: The pathogenicity of E. coli O157:H7 is mainly due to the expression of Stx2 gene, which is located in the Stx2 prophage and poses a threat to intestinal health. This study aimed to investigate whether specific dietary sugars can inhibit Stx2 prophage induction in E. coli O157:H7, leading to reduced Stx2 production and improved intestinal health.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Stephen F. Fitzgerald, Mairi C. Mitchell, Anne Holmes, Lesley Allison, Margo Chase-Topping, Nadejda Lupolova, Beth Wells, David L. Gally, Tom N. Mcneilly
Summary: The prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serogroup O157 in Scottish wild deer was determined to be low (0.28%). However, identified isolates had high virulence potential and were found in deer feces at high levels, indicating a potential risk to humans. The study also identified a wild deer isolate as a possible source of a human outbreak in Scotland. These findings highlight the importance of food hygiene practices during the processing of wild deer carcasses for human consumption.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Timothy J. Dallman, David R. Greig, Saheer E. Gharbia, Claire Jenkins
Summary: Analysis of STEC O157:H7 genomes revealed that 5-SNP single linkage clusters are useful for detecting outbreak-related cases, while 5-SNP single linkage community clusters without identified epidemiological links are more likely to be temporally and/or geographically related. 10-SNP single linkage clusters occur infrequently and are challenging to investigate.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
R. R. Atitkar, J. R. Hauser, A. R. Melton-Celsa
Summary: In a murine model of STEC infection, the stx(2a) phage lytic genes were found to be unnecessary for the virulence of pathogenic O157:H7 clinical isolates or for the release of Stx2a into bacterial cultures. These findings suggest an alternative mechanism for Stx2a release from STEC strains.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Margherita Montalbano Di Filippo, Arianna Boni, Paola Chiani, Manuela Marra, Maria Carollo, Lucrezia Cristofari, Fabio Minelli, Arnold Knijn, Stefano Morabito
Summary: This study examines the interaction between STEC strains and Acanthamoeba sp., finding that STEC can survive within these amoebae and maintain their pathogenic potential. The internalization in free-living amoebae allows STEC to resist non-permissive growth conditions, escape detection, and withstand disinfection treatments.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lindsey Ferraro, D. J. Irving, Jack Marr, Kelly Orejuela, Erin Murray, Mugdha Golwalkar, Lisa M. Durso, Julie Viruez, Robin Rasnic, Katie Garman, John Dunn
Summary: On June 22, 2022, the Tennessee Department of Health was informed that a child who attended a farming camp at farm A was hospitalized with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7. Three days later, another child who attended the same camp was hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome. This prompted an investigation.
MMWR-MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Siobhan C. McCarthy, Guerrino Macori, Gina Duggan, Catherine M. Burgess, Seamus Fanning, Geraldine Duffy
Summary: This study found a high prevalence of STEC circulating within sheep in Ireland, with prevalence related to animal age and seasonality. Sheep harbor a variety of non-O157 STEC, whose prevalence and contribution to human disease have been underinvestigated for many years. A variety of Stx variants were also observed, some of which are of high clinical importance.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pathology
Christopher Kiss, Despina Kotsanas, Michelle J. Francis, Michelle Sait, Mary Valcanis, Jake Lacey, Kathryn Connelly, Benjamin Rogers, Susan A. Ballard, Benjamin P. Howden, Maryza Graham
Summary: After introducing faecal multiplex PCR targeting stx1 and stx2 genes, we detected stx genes in 120 specimens from 111 patients over a 31-month period. The proportion of stx1 only, stx2 only, and co-detection of stx1 and stx2 was 35%, 22%, and 42% respectively. There were 54 culture-positive specimens with 33 different serotypes identified, predominantly O157:H7 (19%). Clinical data available for 82 patients showed high rates of fever (35%), bloody diarrhea (34%), acute kidney injury (27%), hospital admission (80%), and detection of co-pathogens (23%). Only one patient developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome. There was no significant association between stx genotypes and specific symptoms or complications. Serotypes O157:H7 and O26:H11 were significantly associated with bloody stool, but no other symptom or complication showed significant association.
Review
Infectious Diseases
J. Besser, H. A. Carleton, P. Gerner-Smidt, R. L. Lindsey, E. Trees
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2018)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
K. Gambino-Shirley, L. Stevenson, J. Concepcion-Acevedo, E. Trees, D. Wagner, L. Whitlock, J. Roberts, N. Garrett, S. Van Duyne, G. McAllister, B. Schick, L. Schlater, V. Peralta, R. Reporter, L. Li, H. Waechter, T. Gomez, J. Fernandez Ordenes, S. Ulloa, C. Ragimbeau, J. Mossong, M. Nichols
ZOONOSES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2018)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Katherine E. Heiman Marshall, Mackenzie Tewell, Selam Tecle, Molly Leeper, Jennifer Sinatra, Bonnie Kissler, Adrienne Fung, Kerri Brown, Darlene Wagner, Eija Trees, Kelley B. Hise, Vishnu Chaturvedi, Linda K. Schlater, Brenda R. Morningstar-Shaw, Laura Whitlock, Kristin Holt, Karen Becker, Megin Nichols, Ian T. Williams, Michael Jhung, Matthew E. Wise, Laura Gieraltowski
MMWR-MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT
(2018)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Vikram Krishnasamy, Lauren Stevenson, Lia Koski, Marilee Kellis, Betsy Schroeder, Madhura Sundararajan, Stephen Ladd-Wilson, Ashley Sampsel, Mike Mannell, Andrew Classon, Darlene Wagner, Kelley Hise, Heather Carleton, Eija Trees, Linda Schlater, Kristina Lantz, Megin Nichols
MMWR-MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT
(2018)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
L. J. Burnsed, L. D. Kovar, K. M. Angelo, E. K. Trees, J. Concepcion-Acevedo, M. D. McDermott, D. Wagner, K. K. Bradley
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vaishnavi Pattabiraman, Lee S. Katz, Jessica C. Chen, Andre E. McCullough, Eija Trees
Article
Food Science & Technology
John M. Besser, Heather A. Carleton, Eija Trees, Steven G. Stroika, Kelley Hise, Matthew Wise, Peter Gerner-Smidt
FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2019)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Heather A. Carleton, John Besser, Amanda J. Williams-Newkirk, Andrew Huang, Eija Trees, Peter Gerner-Smidt
FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2019)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kristy A. Kubota, William J. Wolfgang, Deborah J. Baker, David Boxrud, Lauren Turner, Eija Trees, Heather A. Carleton, Peter Gerner-Smidt
PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
R. Paul McClung, Mateusz Karwowski, Caroline Castillo, Jevon McFadden, Sarah Collier, Jim Collins, Marty Soehnlen, Stephen Dietrich, Eija Trees, Grete Wilt, Christina Harrington, Ashley Miller, Elizabeth Adam, Hannah Reses, Jennifer Cope, Katie Fullerton, Vincent Hill, Jonathan Yoder
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2020)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Angela Poates, Jenny Truong, Rebecca Lindsey, Taylor Griswold, Amanda J. Williams-Newkirk, Heather Carleton, Eija Trees
Summary: This study aims to optimize and validate the Illumina DNA Prep kit for sequencing enteric pathogens and compare its performance against the Nextera XT kit. The Prep libraries outperformed the XT libraries, especially in Escherichia sequences, and showed better accuracy in predicting O group and detecting related genes.
FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
M. Laughlin, L. Bottichio, J. Weiss, J. Higa, E. McDonald, R. Sowadsky, D. Fejes, A. Saupe, G. Provo, S. Seelman, J. Concepcion-Acevedo, L. Gieraltowski, J. Narang, M. Needham, A. Barnes, A. Maroufi, H. Buonomo, C. Neiss, L. Negado, J. Healy, F. Ni, K. Trinh, L. McCullough, C. Rigdon, J. Ayers, E. Reed, S. Viazis, A. Crosby, A. Tesfai, S. Lance, L. Whitlock, E. Trees, D. Wagner, A. Sabot, I Williams
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Shaokang Zhang, Shaoting Li, Weidong Gu, Henk den Bakker, Dave Boxrud, Angie Taylor, Chandler Roe, Elizabeth Driebe, David M. Engelthaler, Marc Allard, Eric Brown, Patrick McDermott, Shaohua Zhao, Beau B. Bruce, Eija Trees, Patricia I. Fields, Xiangyu Deng
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2019)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Paul Vauterin, Ben Jeffery, Alistair Miles, Roberto Amato, Lee Hart, Ian Wright, Dominic Kwiatkowski
Article
Microbiology
Rebecca L. Lindsey, Dhwani Batra, Lori Rowe, Vladimir N. Loparev, Phalasy Juieng, Lisley Garcia-Toledo, Amelia Bicknese, Devon Stripling, Haley Martin, Jessica Chen, Nancy Strockbine, Eija Trees
GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2017)