Hu J, Torres A G
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Pathology and Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2015 Aug;21(8):729-34. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.01.015. Epub 2015 Jan 28.
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) remain one the most important pathogens infecting children and they are one of the main causes of persistent diarrhoea worldwide. Historically, typical EPEC (tEPEC), defined as those isolates with the attaching and effacement (A/E) genotype (eae(+)), which possess bfpA(+) and lack the stx(-) genes are found strongly associated with diarrhoeal cases. However, occurrence of atypical EPEC (aEPEC; eae(+)bfpA(-)stx(-)) in diarrhoeal and asymptomatic hosts has made investigators question the role of these pathogens in human disease. Current epidemiological data are helping to answer the question of whether EPEC is mainly a foe or an innocent bystander during infection.
肠致病性大肠杆菌（EPEC）仍然是感染儿童的最重要病原体之一，并且是全球持续性腹泻的主要原因之一。从历史上看，典型EPEC（tEPEC）被定义为具有黏附和损毁（A/E）基因型（eae(+)）的分离株，这些分离株拥有bfpA(+)且缺乏stx(-)基因，被发现与腹泻病例密切相关。然而，非典型EPEC（aEPEC；eae(+)bfpA(-)stx(-)）在腹泻和无症状宿主中的出现，使得研究人员对这些病原体在人类疾病中的作用产生了质疑。当前的流行病学数据有助于回答EPEC在感染过程中主要是敌人还是无辜旁观者这一问题。
