France has reported a decline in cases of a serious condition that can develop after an E. coli infection.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.
Data from Santé publique France shows 143 HUS cases in 2023 compared to 252 in 2022. There were several serious outbreaks in 2022, including one linked to Nestlé Buitoni frozen pizzas.
The initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers. As a result, and in line with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area.
As of October 22, 49 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 10 states – Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Sept 27, 2024, to October 11, 2024. Of 28 people with information available, 10 have been hospitalized, and 1 person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death has been reported from an older adult in Colorado.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 (often referred to simply as E. coli O157:H7) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can be particularly alarming for parents due to the severity and potential outcomes of infections associated with them. Here’s why they are considered a serious concern: Read more at the link above
Almost 70 cases of a serious condition that develops after an E. coli infection have been reported in the past year in Italy.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.
Italian data shows that between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, 68 cases of HUS were recorded.
Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Microbiology Research, HUS, Research, STEC, STEC E.coli, STX 1, STX 2, WGS
One person has died in an E. coli outbreak in the United Kingdom linked to salad leaves.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) identified two people in England who died within 28 days of being infected with the outbreak strain. Based on information from health service clinicians, only one death is likely linked to STEC infection. Both individuals had underlying medical conditions and the deaths were in May.
UKHSA also revealed the incident is a re-emergence of an STEC cluster investigated in 2023, where no source could be confirmed.
A total of 402 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 were reported in England and Wales in 2020.
The lowest incidence of STEC O157 was in the London region (0.29 per 100,000 population) and the highest in the South West region (1.04 per 100,000 population).
Children aged 5 to 9 years had the highest incidence of infection (1.50 per 100,000 population, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12 to 1.96).
One-third of confirmed STEC O157 cases in England were hospitalised and 3% were reported to have developed Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS).
A further 286 specimens in England and 41 in Wales were positive for Shiga toxins (Stx) genes on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU) but an organism was not cultured.
The most commonly isolated non-O157 STEC serogroup was STEC O26 (England: n=103 out of 553, 19%; and Wales: n=26 out of 268, 15%).
Three outbreaks of STEC involving 63 cases in England were investigated in 2020.
Updated 18 April 2024
The main points of the 2021 annual report are:
Overall, 1,181 confirmed cases of STEC were reported in England during 2021, a decrease of 2% compared to 2020.
A total of 365 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 were reported in England in 2021, no change compared to 2020. A total of 1,234 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) non-O157 were reported in England in 2021, an increase of 46% compared to 2020.
The lowest annual incidence of STEC O157 was in the East Midlands region (0.41 per 100,000 population) and the highest in the North East region (1.02 per 100,000 population). The lowest incidence of STEC non-O157 was in the Yorkshire and Humber region (0.62 per 100,000 population) and the highest in the London region (4.21 per 100,000 population).
Children aged 1 to 4 years had the highest annual incidence of infection due to STEC O157 (2.3 per 100,000 population, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.78 to 3.02). Children aged under 1 years had the highest incidence of infection due to STEC non O157 (7.08 per 100,000 population, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.01 to 7.21).
Around a third (36%, 127 out of 365) of confirmed STEC O157 cases in England were hospitalised and 2% (6 out of 365) were reported to have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). Where information is available, two-thirds (65%, n=274 out of 431) of confirmed STEC non-O157 cases in England were hospitalised; and 1% (14 out of 1,234) of all STEC non-O157 were reported to have developed HUS).
A further 443 specimens in England were positive for stx genes on PCR at the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU), indicating STEC, but an organism was not cultured therefore a STEC serogroup could not be ascertained.
The most commonly isolated non-O157 STEC serogroup was STEC O26 (n=145 out of 786, 18%).
Four outbreaks of STEC in England involving 52 cases, ranging from 10 to 19 cases, were investigated in 2021: 2 involved STEC O157 and suspected vehicles were identified and 2 involved STEC O26 outbreaks and no vehicles were identified.
Since 2018, the number of STEC O157 notifications has declined and the number of STEC non-O157 has increased two-fold (218%). Overall, there is an increase in STEC notifications, and the burden placed on public health and clinical services is also increasing, especially given the two-fold increase in hospitalisation reported in 2021 for non-O157 cases.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), including the subgroup of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), are important bacterial pathogens which cause diarrhea and the severe clinical manifestation hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Genomic surveillance of STEC/EHEC is a state-of-the-art tool to identify infection clusters and to extract markers of circulating clinical strains, such as their virulence and resistance profile for risk assessment and implementation of infection prevention measures. The aim of the study was characterization of the clinical STEC population in Germany for establishment of a reference data set. To that end, from 2020 to 2022 1257 STEC isolates, including 39 of known HUS association, were analyzed and lead to a classification of 30.4 % into 129 infection clusters. Major serogroups in all clinical STEC analyzed were O26, O146, O91, O157, O103, and O145; and in HUS-associated strains were O26, O145, O157, O111, and O80. stx1 was less frequently and stx2 or a combination of stx, eaeA and ehxA were more frequently found in HUS-associated strains. Predominant stx gene subtypes in all STEC strains were stx1a (24 %) and stx2a (21 %) and in HUS-associated strains were mainly stx2a (69 %) and the combination of stx1a and stx2a (12.8 %). Furthermore, two novel O-antigen gene clusters (RKI6 and RKI7) and strains of serovars O45:H2 and O80:H2 showing multidrug resistance were detected. In conclusion, the implemented surveillance tools now allow to comprehensively define the population of clinical STEC strains including those associated with the severe disease manifestation HUS reaching a new surveillance level in Germany.
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