Escherichia Coli O157;h7

Entrohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a major food borne pathogen causing severe disease in humans worldwide. Healthy cattle

are the reservoir of Escherichia coli O157:H7, and bovine food products and fresh produce contaminated with bovine waste are the most common source for disease out breaks in the United States. Escherichia coli O157:H7 also survives well in the environment. The abilities to cause human disease, colonize the bovine gastrointestinal tract, and require that Escherichia coli O157:H7 adapt to a wide variety of conditions. Three major virulence of factors of Escherichia coli O157:H7 have been identified including shiga toxins, products of the pathogenicity island called the locus of enterocyte effacement, and product of he F-like plasmid PO157. Among these virulence factors, the role of PO157 is least understood.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

2.0 CHAPTER TWO

2.1 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

2.2 PATHOGENICITY OF ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

2.3 MODE OF TRANSMISSION

3.0 CHAPTER THREE

3.1 SYMPTOMS OF ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

3.2 THE PROGNOSIS FOR SOMEONE INFECTED WITH ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

3.3 DIAGNOSIS OF ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7 INFECTION

3.4 TREATMENT OF ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

3.5 PREVENTION OF ESCHERICIAH COLI O157:H7

4.0 CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 CONCLUSION

REFERENCES