While most strains of Escherichia coli are harmless and can even be beneficial, others are extensively pathogenic and pose serious health risks. Dr Neil Bentley examines the role of E. coli in human health and disease, looking at how the global health challenges it presents can be tackled.
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium from the coliform family, and is found within the intestines of warm-blooded animals. The organism was initially identified by Theodor Escherich in 1885 and originally classed as a harmless commensal called Bacterium coli commune.1 Since then, E. coli has been studied intensively and is now recognised as one of the most important microorganisms within the fields of microbiology, public health, and biotechnology. Most strains are harmless commensals and often beneficial by contributing to maintaining gut homeostasis. However, these strains may become opportunistic pathogens when they get into the wrong place. Other strains are extensively pathogenic and pose serious health risks, causing diseases that range from mild diarrhoea to life-threatening systemic infections, many of which cause substantial global health challenges. Furthermore, some E. coli strains are considered a model organism and are used extensively within the biotechnology industry.2-4
E. coli as an organism can be both a valuable ally and a formidable adversary. Within clinical microbiology we usually only consider the pathogenic impact and diseases caused. This short review describes the dichotomy of the organism, examining its positive contribution to health, along with exploring its pathogenicity, epidemiology, and laboratory diagnostics.
Beneficial roles
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