Information – E.coli Safety Information

Food Safety .gov

Shiga Toxin-Producing E.coli & Food Safety

What are Shiga toxin-producing E. coli?

Some kinds of E. coli bacteria cause disease when they make a toxin called Shiga toxin. The bacteria that make these toxins are called “Shiga toxin-producing E. coli,” or STEC for short.

• The most common type of STEC in the United States is E.coli O157:H7 (often shortened to E. coli O157 or even just O157).
• Other STEC are called non-O157.

When you hear news reports about outbreaks of E. coli infections, they are usually talking about E. coli O157.

CDC estimates that each year STEC causes 265,000 illness, 3,600 hospitalizations and 30 deaths in the United States.