Biomaterial Database

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7--an emerging pathogen. 1997

P Koutkia, and E Mylonakis, and T Flanigan

Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 has become an important public health problem in recent years, causing more than 20,000 cases of infection and up to 250 deaths per year in the United States. Transmission of infection is most commonly linked to consumption of undercooked ground beef, contaminated drinking water or unpasteurized milk. Patients with this infection most often present with an acute onset of diarrhea and abdominal cramping that progresses over days to bloody stools. The most serious complications of E. coli O157:H7 infection include hemolytic-uremic syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome occurs most often in children less than five years of age and the elderly, while thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura occurs only in adults. Detection of E. coli O157:H7 requires specific testing that is not performed in routine stool cultures. All patients with documented infection require close observation for the development of possible complications. Use of antibiotics and antimotility agents may worsen the course of the infection and should be avoided.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011697	Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic	An acquired, congenital, or familial disorder caused by PLATELET AGGREGATION with THROMBOSIS in terminal arterioles and capillaries. Clinical features include THROMBOCYTOPENIA; HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA; AZOTEMIA; FEVER; and thrombotic microangiopathy. The classical form also includes neurological symptoms and end-organ damage, such as RENAL FAILURE. Mutations in the ADAMTS13 PROTEIN gene have been identified in familial cases.	Moschkowitz Disease,Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombopenic,Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Congenital,Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Familial,Congenital Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura,Familial Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura,Familial Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura,Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia, Congenital,Moschcowitz Disease,Schulman-Upshaw Syndrome,Thrombotic Microangiopathy, Familial,Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura,Upshaw Factor, Deficiency of,Upshaw-Schulman Syndrome,Familial Thrombotic Microangiopathy,Microangiopathy, Familial Thrombotic,Schulman Upshaw Syndrome,Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Thrombotic,Thrombopenic Purpura, Thrombotic,Thrombotic Thrombopenic Purpura,Upshaw Schulman Syndrome
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004751	Enteritis	Inflammation of any segment of the SMALL INTESTINE.	Enteritides
D006463	Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome	A syndrome that is associated with microvascular diseases of the KIDNEY, such as RENAL CORTICAL NECROSIS. It is characterized by hemolytic anemia (ANEMIA, HEMOLYTIC); THROMBOCYTOPENIA; and ACUTE RENAL FAILURE.	Gasser's Syndrome,Gasser Syndrome,Gassers Syndrome,Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome,Syndrome, Hemolytic-Uremic
D006471	Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage	Bleeding in any segment of the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT from ESOPHAGUS to RECTUM.	Hematochezia,Hemorrhage, Gastrointestinal,Gastrointestinal Hemorrhages,Hematochezias
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D019453	Escherichia coli O157	A verocytotoxin-producing serogroup belonging to the O subfamily of Escherichia coli which has been shown to cause severe food-borne disease. A strain from this serogroup, serotype H7, which produces SHIGA TOXINS, has been linked to human disease outbreaks resulting from contamination of foods by E. coli O157 from bovine origin.	E coli O157,E coli O157-H7,Escherichia coli O157-H7