Escherichia coli

Diarrheagenic Escherichia colibelong to multiple different pathotypes, corresponding to the complement of virulence loci that they contain and the diseases that they cause. Many of these agents are geographically restricted, with disease associations varying according to economic development, age of patient, and human exposure to their reservoirs and habitats. Diagnostic technology now enables culture-independent identification of diarrheagenic E. colipathotypes (most particularly enterotoxigenic E. coli, enteroaggregative E. coli, enteropathogenic E. coli, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coliother than E. coliO157:H7) in clinical settings. However, our current ability to identify these agents exceeds our knowledge about how to interpret their presence in human specimens. Nonetheless, we expect that the next decade will generate considerable knowledge that advances our understanding of the disorders associated with these bacteria.