E. Coli Flashcards
E. coli characteristics
-Representative of order Enterobacterales (7 families, 88 genera)
-gram negative fermentative rods
-biocontainment level1-3 (Yersinia pestis level 3)
-on blood agar colonies are typically grey (range from small round colonies to swarming plate covering colonies)
How to divide Enterobacterales?
-commonly based in their ability to ferment lactose
*pink on MacConkey agar because lactose fermentation
Host or habitat
-Widely disseminated and ubiquitous (environment, intestinal tract, respiratory tract)
-sometimes specialized niches (humans only for Salmonella typhi=typhoid fever)
-some generalists (mostly plant pathogens but also cause disease in vertebrates)
Differential plates
-Can be used to differentiate
Ex. eosin methylene blue (lactose fermenters metallic)
Ex. XLT-4 H2S producers (black)
Biochemical tests
-Can use indole (positive=pink), citrate (Positive =blue), urease (positive=pink) tests
Motility test
-Will see spread/haze throughout the tube if motility present
Otherwise non-motility will appear as a line
E. coli taxonomy
-6 different species
-show variation between accessory genes
Virulence factors of E coli
**variations of virulence factors affect which type of infection occurs
Diarrheagenic E coli
- Shiga toxin- producing (STEC)
- Enterotoxigenic (ETEC)
- Enteropathogenic (EPEC)
Extraintestinal diarrheagenic E coli
- Uropathogenic (UPEC)
- Sepsis causing (SEPEC)
- Avian pathogenic (APEC)
Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) clinical signs
-bloody diarrhea, systemic disease
-cattle carriers
-edema disease in pigs
Virulence factors of Shiga toxin-producing (STEC)
-Shiga toxins
1. Stx- act by interfering with protein synthesis…causes edema and hemorrhage
2.Phage mediated- fluoroquinolones and TMS may increase expression
-Intimin- enterocyte attaching and effacing
Enterotoxigenic (ETEC)
-watery diarrhea
-neonatal colibacillosis diarrhea in pigs, calves, lambs (traveller’s diarrhea in people)
Enterotoxigenic (ETEC) virulence factors
**species and age specific pathogenicity based on receptors
F4 fimbriae- receptors in piglets up to 8weeks
F5 fimbriae- receptors in calved in first few days of life
Toxins:
1. Heat Labile Toxin (LT)- increase cAMP levels leading to increased fluid and electrolyte; similar to toxin produced by Vibrio cholerae
2. Heat Stable Toxin (ST)- interferes with enteric nervous system
Enteropathogenic (EPEC)
-watery diarrhea with characteristic attaching and effacing lesions
-all species; but increasingly recognized in dogs (mimics typical parvovirus presentation)
Enteropathogenic (EPEC) virulence factors
- See characteristic attaching and effacing lesions
-bacteria seen closely adhered to enterocytes
-heavily colonized enterocytes may have intracellular bacteria
-mucosal erosions are also present - eae (enterocyte attaching and effacing)- encodes intimin which allows attachment
Uropathogenic (UPEC)
**opportunistic infections, ascending from urethra
-intracellular infections
-urinary tract infections and urosepsis
-dogs and people