The versatile strategies of Escherichia coli pathotypes: a mini review

The widespread species Escherichia coli includes a broad variety of different types, ranging from highly pathogenic strains to avirulent isolates. Few microorganisms are as versatile as E. coli. Pathogenic strains remain a leading cause of severe and persistent infant diarrhea in developing countrie...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
Main Author: C. P. Sousa
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SciELO 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-91992006000300002
https://doaj.org/article/0e44e12e2326462b8ed23a51f1309532
Description
Summary:The widespread species Escherichia coli includes a broad variety of different types, ranging from highly pathogenic strains to avirulent isolates. Few microorganisms are as versatile as E. coli. Pathogenic strains remain a leading cause of severe and persistent infant diarrhea in developing countries. They may be limited to colonization of a mucosal surface or can disseminate throughout the body and have been implicated in urinary tract infection, sepsis/meningitis and gastrointestinal infection. The human gastrointestinal tract is susceptible to diarrheagenic E. coli infections. Escherichia coli have effectively managed to subvert the host cytoskeleton for their own purposes causing substantial diarrheal disease, a major public health problem worldwide. This review deals with the different strategies regarding E. coli as a pathogen and the virulence traits of its pathotypes highlighting the species as a commensal, opportunistic and specialized pathogen.