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Medical Author: Dennis Lee, MD
Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that commonly lives in the intestines of people and animals. There are many strains (types) of E. coli. Most of the E. coli are normal inhabitants of the small intestine and colon and are non-pathogenic, meaning they do not cause disease in the intestines. Nevertheless, these non-pathogenic E. coli can cause disease if they spread outside of the intestines, for example, into the urinary tract (where they cause bladder or kidney infections) or into the blood stream (sepsis).
Some strains of E. coli are pathogenic, meaning they can cause disease in the small intestine and colon. These pathogenic strains of E. coli may cause diarrhea by producing and releasing toxins (called enterotoxigenic E. coli or ETEC) that cause the intestine to secrete fluid or by invading and inflaming the lining of the small intestine and the colon (called enteropathogenic E. coli or EPEC). A third strain of E. coli has a tendency to cause inflammation of the colon and bloody diarrhea (called enterohemorrhagic E. coli or EHEC).
E coli O157:H7 is a strain of EHEC. It causes colitis and bloody diarrhea by producing a toxin called Shiga toxin, which damages the intestines.
E. coli 0157:H7 is a major health problem. It is estimated to cause infection in more than 70,000 patients a year in the United States. It has been reported to cause both large outbreaks as well as isolated sporadic infections in small numbers of individuals. This diarrheal illness was first recognized when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) isolated E. coli O157:H7 from patients in two separate outbreaks in Oregon and Michigan. The illness was associated with eating hamburgers at the restaurants of one national chain. Thus, hemorrhagic colitis due to E, coli 0157:H7 is commonly referred to as hamburger disease.
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