Karch H, Bielaszewska M, Bitzan M, Schmidt H
Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg, Germany.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1999 Jul;34(3):229-43. doi: 10.1016/s0732-8893(99)00031-0.
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have been identified as a worldwide cause of serious human gastrointestinal disease and the life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome. The most common serotype implicated is E. coli O157: H7, but infections involving various non-O157 serotypes have been found with increasing frequency in many countries. Food-borne outbreaks caused by STEC can affect large numbers of people and cause serious morbidity, making the bacteria one of the most important emerging pathogens. Because there is no specific treatment of the disease currently available, there is an urgent need for effective preventive measures based on a detailed understanding of the epidemiology of STEC infections. Such measures will also be dependent on the availability of rapid, sensitive, and simple procedures for the detection of the pathogens both in human samples and in samples of nonhuman origin such as food. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the epidemiology of STEC infection and presents a survey of laboratory methods currently available for diagnosis of STEC. Special attention is given to new diagnostic procedures for the less readily detectable non-O157 STEC strains and to simple procedures, usually based on commercially available kits, that can be used in routine clinical microbiological laboratories.
产志贺毒素大肠杆菌（STEC）已被确认为全球范围内导致人类严重胃肠道疾病和危及生命的溶血性尿毒症综合征的病因。最常见的相关血清型是大肠杆菌O157:H7，但在许多国家，涉及各种非O157血清型的感染发现频率越来越高。由STEC引起的食源性疾病暴发可影响大量人群并导致严重发病，使这种细菌成为最重要的新出现病原体之一。由于目前尚无针对该疾病的特效治疗方法，因此迫切需要基于对STEC感染流行病学的详细了解采取有效的预防措施。这些措施还将取决于能否获得快速、灵敏且简便的程序，用于检测人类样本以及食品等非人类来源样本中的病原体。本综述总结了目前关于STEC感染流行病学的知识，并介绍了当前可用于诊断STEC的实验室方法。特别关注了针对较难检测的非O157 STEC菌株的新诊断程序，以及通常基于市售试剂盒、可用于常规临床微生物实验室的简便程序。
