8.1.6

E. Coli 0157:H7 and HUS

Watch the video E. coli 0157:H7 Part 1 - Transmission

E. coli 0157:H7 is a specific strain of E. coli that is particularly virulent (which means capable of causing a disease that is severe or harmful in its effects). An infectious dose of this bacteria is only 10-100 colony forming units (cfu). This bacteria is enterohemorrhagic, which refers to its ability to damage the intestine and cause bloody diarrhea. It mainly affects enterocytes in the distal ileum and colon, but in severe cases it can gain access to circulation and damage other organs systems.

E. coli 0157:H7 is found in the feces of healthy livestock. It is relatively easy and possible for food to become contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7 because these feces can be used as fertilizer for crops and cause infections in the people who eat those crops. This is part of the reason why it is important to wash the produce we eat. However, most often an infection occurs after eating meat that has been in contact with contaminated feces that contain the bacteria. It is possible that when a cow was slaughtered, there may have been feces that touched and stayed on the meat. For this reason, it is important to cook ground hamburger all the way through because the E. coli 0157:H7 could be mixed throughout the meat. Eating rare steak is a lower risk because any E. coli 0157:H7 would have likely only touched and stayed on the outside of the meat, which gets cooked. However, eating rare meat is not completely without risk. This is why you may see a warning on the menu at your favorite steak house that states: “WARNING: Consuming raw or undercooked meats may increase your risk of foodborne illness." E. coli 0157:H7 can also survive in water and illness can be contracted by drinking a very small amount of contaminated water. Two locations that have increased risk for person-to-person transmission of E.coli 0157:H7 are nursing homes and daycare centers.

Watch the video E. coli 0157:H7 Part 2 - Pathogenesis & Complications

There are nine main steps in the pathogenesis of E. coli 0157:H7.

Process of E. coli 0157:H7 Infection Image BYU-I JS S18

There are many tissues in the body that express the glycolipid Gb3/Gb4. Once in systemic circulation, shiga toxin can travel to various cells in the body and attach to them via Gb3/Gb4. The attachment of shiga toxin to these glycolipids helps explain some of the well documented symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) that can occur with an E. coli 0157:H7 infection. For reasons not well understood, HUS is often most devastating in children as they are the population at greatest risk for developing it. HUS is defined by the simultaneous occurrence of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury.

It is sometimes possible to see neurological manifestations of systemic shiga toxins that include stroke, seizures, coma, and hemiparesis. This is because Gb3/Gb4 is also expressed in brain tissue, so shiga toxin can bind and cause organ damage in a similar manner to what happens in the kidney. Moreover, microthrombi that form in other parts of the infected body may travel to the brain and become lodged in the microcirculation, causing ischemia.

Treatment of an E. coli 0157:H7 infection mainly consists of supportive care with a focus on rehydration. The use of antibiotics and antidiarrheal agents during the early stages of diarrhea from an E. coli 0157:H7 infection are not recommended because they increase the risk of HUS. Antibiotics increase the risk because they cause the gut to be exposed to a greater amount of toxins as the bacteria are killed. Antidiarrheal agents increase the risk because they inhibit the body’s efforts to flush out the bacteria.

This content is provided to you freely by BYU-I Books.

Access it online or download it at https://books.byui.edu/bio_381_pathophysiol/816__e_coli_0157h7_a.