Therapeutic strategies for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infections

Abstract

Shiga toxin (Verocytotoxin)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC or VTEC) causes serious gastrointestinal infections in humans, including diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis, and may lead to life-threatening sequelae such as the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The triennial ‘VTEC’ meetings provide a multidisciplinary forum for presentation of the latest research on all aspects of STEC, with sessions addressing epidemiology of human disease, animal reservoirs and transmission of STEC via the food chain, mechanisms of pathogenesis and host response, and control and prevention strategies. Management of patients with STEC disease can be challenging, particularly since conventional antibiotic therapy is contraindicated because it is believed to increase the risk of complications by promoting release of Shiga toxin by STEC in the gut. Accordingly, this report will focus on papers presented at the meeting that addressed development of alternative therapeutic strategies.