Enhanced laboratory detection of non-O157:H7 types of E. coli from stool samples of the sick is causing a surge in positive findings for toxic E. coli that is exponentially larger than the number of labs adopting the enhanced methods, a study by a Washington State Department of Health has found.
Washington State disease trackers looked at laboratories in Washington and examined the rate of non-O157 E. coli detection as more and more labs developed the tools to test for varied STECs. According to a summary of the research published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of laboratories in Washington State that tested for varied STECs increased from 2 (4 percent) in 2005 to 19 (33 percent) in 2010.
Four serogroups accounted for more than 80 percent of non-O157 STEC case findings. They were E. coli O26, E. coli O103, E. coli O121 and E. coli O111.
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