title: Characteristics of the enteroaggregative Shiga toxin/verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 strain causing the outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome in Germany, May to June 2011.
abstract: The Escherichia coli strain causing a large outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome and bloody diarrhoea in Germany in May and June 2011 possesses an unusual combination of pathogenic features typical of enteroaggregative E. coli together with the capacity to produce Shiga toxin. Through rapid national and international exchange of information and strains the known occurrence in humans was quickly assessed.We describe simple diagnostic screening tools to detect the outbreak strain in clinical specimens and a novel real-time PCR for its detection in foods.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Escherichia and Klebsiella, Department of Microbiological Surveillance and Research, Copenhagen, Denmark. fsc@ssi.dk
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scheutz
authors.forename: E Møller
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frimodt-Møller
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boisen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morabito
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tozzoli
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nataro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caprioli
mesh_terms: D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D022621:Shiga Toxin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000506:poisoning*; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D022621:Shiga Toxin