Research – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE E. COLI O157:H7 BACTERIA DURING AN OUTBREAK

Food Poison Journal

E. coli is an archetypal commensal bacterial species that lives in mammalian intestines. E. coli O157:H7 is one of thousands of serotypes Escherichia coli.[1] The combination of letters and numbers in the name of the E. coli O157:H7 refers to the specific antigens (proteins which provoke an antibody response) found on the body and tail or flagellum[2]respectively and distinguish it from other types of E. coli.[3] Most serotypes of E. coli are harmless and live as normal flora in the intestines of healthy humans and animals.[4] The E. coli bacterium is among the most extensively studied microorganism.[5] The testing done to distinguish E. coli O157:H7 from its other E. coli counterparts is called serotyping.[6]

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