Enteropathogenic E. coli exploitation of host epithelial cells.

Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) is a leading cause of neonatal diarrhea worldwide. These organisms adhere to the intestinal cell surface, causing rearrangement in the epithelial cell surface and underlying cytoskeleton, resulting in a structure termed an attaching/effacing (A/E) lesion. A/E lesion formation is thought necessary for EPEC-mediated disease. EPEC secretes several proteins that trigger signal transduction, intimate adherence, and cytoskeletal rearrangements in epithelial cells. Additionally, it produces intimin, an outer membrane product that mediates intimate adherence. Together these various bacterial molecules contribute to the intimate relationship that is formed by EPEC with host epithelial cells which results in A/E lesion formation and diarrhea.