An increase in a type of E. coli over the past decade has prompted scientists to warn of an emerging threat to public health in England.
While part of the rise is because of better detection of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in labs, there is evidence more people are actually getting sick.
Researchers looked at STEC O26:H11 clonal complex (CC) 29 in England. Between January 2014 and December 2021, 834 human isolates from 724 patients belonging to CC29 were sequenced at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
STEC O26:H11 notifications in 2021 were eight times higher than those recorded in 2014. Diagnoses of STEC O26 in England have increased each year from 19 in 2014 to 144 in 2021. Most cases were female and the highest proportion belonged to the 0 to 5 age group, found the study in the Journal of Infection.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) was diagnosed in 40 cases and three children died. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.