Escherichia Flashcards
What is the structure of Escherichia coli? In what oxygen conditions does it live in? What is it able to ferment?
Gram-negative rodes with peritrichous flagella
facultative anaerobes
glucose and lactose —> pink on MacConkey
How does E. coli respond to oxidase and catalase tests?
oxidase negative
catalase positive
What is E. coli’s most common habitat? Is it antimicrobial resistant?
normally live harmlessly in the intestinal tract of all mammals
yes - β-lactams and fluoroquinolones
What surface antigens are used to serotype E. coli? What 2 serotypes of E. coli are known to be extremely dangerous?
- fimbrial antigens (F)
- capsular antigens (K)
- flagellar antigens (H)
- somatic/LPS antigen (O)
- E. coli O157:H7
- E. coli O18:K1:H7
What are the main 4 intestinal (diarrheagenic) E. coli and where are they found?
SMALL BOWEL
1. enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
2. enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)
LARGE BOWEL
3. enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)
4. enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) - human pathogen
(enteritis + diarrhea)
What fimbrial adhesins are present in Enterotoxigenic E. coli? What is their function?
F4*, F5, F6, F41
attachment to the small intestine
What 2 enterotoxins do enterotoxigenic E. coli secrete? What do they do?
- heat-labile enterotoxin (LT)
- heat-stable enterotoxin (ST)
increase cGMP and cAMP levels within small intestine epithelial cells, causing water and electrolytes to secrete from the cell —> watery diarrhea
What pathogen causes neonatal diarrhea? What is the most common host? What are 3 symptoms?
enterotoxigenic E. coli
newborn calves, lambs, and piglets within the first week of life (receptors aren’t resistant to ETEC yet)
- diarrhea
- severe dehydration
- death
How is enteric colibacillosis treated? Controlled?
enterotoxigenic E. coli —> neonatal diarrhea
- milk with fluids containing electrolytes
- feeding ample amounts of colostrum shortly after birth for resistance (antibiotics not recommended)
What pathogen(s) cause post-weaning diarrhea? What is the most common host? What are 3 symptoms?
enterotoxigenic E. coli or enteropathogenic E. coli
pigs within 1-2 weeks after weaning
- watery diarrhea
- loss of appetite
- purplish discoloration of the skin
In what 3 ways is post-weaning diarrhea controlled/treated?
- vaccination
- breeding for disease resistance
- antibiotics following a susceptibility test
What adhesin is present in enteropathogenic E. coli? How is it able to translocate internal toxins and proteins into host cells?
intimin
type 3 secretion system
How does enteropathogenic E. coli cause watery diarrhea?
pedestal formation on small intestine epithelium leads to the loss of microvilli and causes attaching and effacing lesions
What surface structures contribute to enterohemorrhagic E. coli virulence? Where does it colonize?
- intimin (ahesion)
- T3SS
- attaching and effacing lesions
(like EPEC)
large bowel (colon)
What toxin is unique to enterohemorrhagic E. coli? What does it do?
Shiga toxin - causes hemorrhagic diarrhea and kidney failure
- EHEC = Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) = verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC)
Cattle are the primary reservoir of EHEC E. coli O157:H7, but they remain healthy. Why?
Shiga toxins bind to globotriaosylceramides (Gb3) found in the kidneys and intestine of humans, but are absent in cattle
What kind of disease does enterohemorrhagic E. coli cause? How is it able to do this?
edema disease in pigs within 1-2 weeks after weaning
Shiga toxin-producing (O138, O139, O141, O147) that binds to Gb4