Toxin 2 is associated with an increased risk of HUS3
Toxin 2 is 1000 fold more toxic to human cells.2
Symptoms of STEC are not well differentiated and may resemble Appendicitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Infectious Colitis, and C. difficile Associated Disease.6
The presence of blood in stools is a poor predictor of STEC infection because as many as 50% of positive specimens are non-bloody.4
Antibiotics are Contraindicated
Antibiotics increase Shiga toxin release and production and should be avoided.5
HUS develops in 56% of STEC patients treated with antibiotics.5
HUS develops in only 8% of STEC patients not receiving antibiotics.5
Culture Plates Lack Sensitivity
Sorbitol MacConkey plates have been shown to be only 50% sensitive for E. coli O157.3
SMAC culture misses as much as half of all O157:H7 and all non-O157 strains of E. coli4
Consequences of Disease
38%-61% of patients with STEC infection will develop Hemorrhagic Colitis.2
5%-10% of patients with STEC infection will develop HUS.3
Approximately 10% of those with HUS will die or have permanent renal failure.3
It's Not Just About E. coli O157
30%-50% of all STEC infections are caused by E. coli non-O1577
50% of HUS cases are caused by non-O157 strains of E. coli4
Cost of Disease
Hospital cost of care for one HUS is approximately $100.0004.
2006 E. coli Spinach Outbreak - The Impact of a Shiga Toxin 2 Producer is a Higher Rate of HUS and Death
