Over the course of a four-year study, researchers co-cultured the pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 serotype with a nonpathogenic strain of the bacteria and inoculated mice. These mice got much sicker than mice that were infected with the pathogenic strain alone. The finding appears to be especially relevant because people normally have multiple strains of E. coli living in their intestines.
Most E. coli bacteria are harmless and are an important part of a healthy intestinal tract, noted co-author Edward Dudley, associate professor of food science. However, some E. coli are pathogenic, meaning they can cause illness by producing toxins that can result in bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps or other more serious conditions, such as impaired kidney function.
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