| Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus | Species/Subspecies |
|---|
| Species/Subspecies: | Escherichia coli | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etymology: | Genus name: named after the German pediatrician Theodor Escherich, who first isolated the type species of the genus. Species epithet: from the large intestine (colon). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Significance: | [Very important] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomy: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type Strain: | ATCC 11775 = CCUG 29300 = NCTC 9001. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Macromorphology (smell):
| Medium sized (3-6 mm in diameter), opaque, sticky and greyish white colonies. Some strains give a narrow clear hemolysis zone on blood agar. Characteristic odor. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Micromorphology: | Short motile rods (0.5 x 1-3 µm) with peritrichous flagella. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gram +/Gram -: | G- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Metabolism: | Facultatively anaerobic. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catalase/Oxidase: | +/- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other Enzymes: | DNase -, esculinase V, ornithine decarboxylase V, tryptophanase + (= indol +), urease -. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biochemical Tests: | Citrate -, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) -, methyl red +, Voges-Proskauer -. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fermentation of carbohydrates: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spec. Char.: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Special Media:
| BG medium is used to distinguish between E. coli and Salmonella spp. Chromogenic E. coli/coliform selective agar is used for enumeration of coliform bacteria. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hosts: | Many different animal species (including humans). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disease (Swedish): | Olika patotyper ger olika sjukdomar (enteriska, septikemiska m.fl.). Ödemsjuka hos gris (patotyp VTEC), avvänjningsdiarré hos gris (patotyp ETEC) och hemorragisk kolit hos människa (patotyp EHEC). (Matförgiftning) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disease (English): | Different pathotypes cause various diseases (enteric, septicaemic and others). Edema disease in pigs (pathotype VTEC), weaning diarrhea in pigs (pathotype ETEC) and hemorrhagic colitis in humans (pathotype EHEC). (Food Poisoning) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clinical Picture: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virulence Factors: | Strains of E. coli are divided into different pathotypes
depending on their virulence factors. Some human patotypes and their
virulence factors are listed below:
EPEC, enteropathogenic E. coli, type III secretion system (intimin, Tir, EspA, B, D och F) etc. ETEC, enterotoxigenic E. coli, colonization factor antigens (CFAs), heat labile and heat stabile toxins (LT and STa, STB, respectively). VTEC (= STEC), verotoxin producing E.coli, verotoxin. EHEC, enterohemorragic E. coli, type III secretion system, Verotoxins (VT1 and VT2) etc. EIEC, enteroinvasive E. coli, invasion plasmid (pINV). EAggEC (= EAEC), enteroaggregativ E. coli, aggregativa adhesion fimbriae (AAFs), AEAC flagellin and toxins. UPEC, uropathogenic E. coli, adhesion factors (type 1, F1C, S, M and Dr), P fimbriae, cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF-1), hemolysin (HlyA) and autotransported protease (Sat). MNEC, meningitis/sepsis-associated E. coli, outer membrane proteins (OmpA, IbA, IbeB, IbeC and AsIA), cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF-1) and capsule (K1). Note that Shigatoxin is used synonymously with Verotoxin and the toxins are accordingly termed Stx1 and Stx2. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genome Sequence: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16S rRNA Seq.: |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomy/phylogeny: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation: | E. coli, stam O157:H7, belongs to category B as a potential bioterrorism agent according to NIAID. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comment: | Type species for the genus. Most strains of E. coli are usually non-pathogenic intestinal bacteria, which belong to the normal flora, but some strains are pathogenic. Infections with verotoxin producing strains (VTEC) may be notifyable in Sweden. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference(s): | No. 17, 40, 99 |