E.coli Flashcards
E.coli organism
-rod-shaped, non spore-forming gram-negative, facultative anaerobe
- belongs to the family enterobacteriaceae
- serotyped using: O antigens of LPS, H antigens of flagellin protein
- Produces pilli - the smaller surface projections
And produces peritricus flagella
why is E.coli a model organism
-Can be easily genetically manipulated
- it grows quickly on range of media
- genetic systems well developed
- metabolically versatile
dual aspect of E.coli
E.coli has a dual aspect of being both a commensal organism and a pathogen
e.coli - commensal organism
- colonises GI tract a few hours after birth
- most abundant facultative anaerobe of human intestinal microflora
E.coli - pathogen
– UTI
- Diarrhoea
- haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- septicaemia, pneumonia, meningitis
pathotypes of E.coli
pathotypes - groups of strains from within a single species that cause a specific disease using a common set of virulence factors
- extra-intestinal E.coli
- diarrheagenic pathotypes
- extra-intestinal E.coli
- neonatal meningitis
- uropathogenic
- avian pathogenic
diarrheagenic pathotypes
- enteropathogenic (EPEC)
-enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC)
-enterotoxigenic (ETEC)
-enteroaggregative (EAEC)
-enteroinvasive (EIEC)
site of pathogenic E. coli colonisation
These pathotypes cause different diseases through colonising different sites on the body
- brain: NMEC
-bloodstream: UPEC and NMEC - large bowel: EHEC, EIEC, and EAEC
-kidney: UPEC - small bowel: EPEC, ETEC, DAEC, and EAEC
- bladder: UPEC
site of diaarhoeagenic E.coli colonisation - large intestine
The role of the 7 metre long intestine is to both absorb nutrients but also to form a barrier to toxic substance and bacteria entering the human body: has undulating ridges and villi to increase SA
- Diaryogenic bacteria must colonise this environment, often directly interacting with these polarised epithelial cells
enteropathogenic E.coli
-important cause of infant diarrhoea in developing countries
diarrhoea results from multiple mechanisms:
- active ion secretion
- increased intestinal permeability
- increased inflammation
- a loss of absorptive microvilli
The most characteristic function of EPEC infection is the intimate interaction it can set up with host cells termed the ‘attaching and effacing’ phenotype
pathogenic mechanisms of enteropathogenic E.coli
-EPEC is an ectracellular pathogen initially binding to the host cell surface using bundle forming pili
-following binding EPEC injects a variety of effector proteins into the host cell using a type 3 secretion system - these hijack the cells for the benefit of the bacterium
- the most prominent change in cell structure is the formation of attaching and effacing structures on epithelial cells
what is effacement
effacement is the destruction of the microvilli with production of the pedestal by T3SS effector protein mediated cytoskeletal changes involving acrin polymerisation
enterohaemorrhagic E.coli
EHEC causes: - non bloody or bloody diarrhoea, haemolytic uraemic syndrome
-similar attaching and effacing activity to EPEC
- importantly produces shiga toxin (Stx)
- outbreaks - particularly associated with beef/beef products and farm visits by children
- serotype 0157:H7 most important in US/UK
EHEC Stx as a virulence factor
- an A1B5 type toxin - Stx or veryoctyotoxin
- EHEC Stx is closely related to Shiga toxin produced by shigella species responsible for dysentery
- receptor for B subunit of toxin is glycolipid globotriaosylceramide
- intracellular target of toxin A subunit is ribosomal RNA that is cleaved leading to cessation of protein synthesis