Bacterial Diarrhea

Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia  coli including  O157:H7  E. coli , 

and non-O157 strains 

100 000 cases per a year in US

- Watery diarrhea progressing to passage of bloody diarrhea; infection acquired from food (ground beef or 

contaminated produce) (in 52% of patients), personto-person spread (in 14%), water and wading pools 

(in 9%), contact with animals (in 3%), laboratories (in <1%), and unknown sources (in 21%); important 

reservoir in cattle

Stool culture with the use of sorbitol–MacConkey agar for nonfermenting bacteria followed by serotyping for O157, then H7 with enzyme immunoassay of from positive  E. coli stool for Shiga toxins; send stools to reference laboratory for serotypin