a variety of pathogens

Cell damage caused abdominal cramps and even bloody diarrhea. In some cases, Shiga toxin attacks the liver and induce potentially fatal hemolytic uremic syndrome.

As of June 7, more than 2,300 infections in Germany, where 600 people showed hemolytic uremic syndrome, at least 23 people were killed; June 11, the World Health Organization reported a total of 3147 people in Germany EHEC infection, of which 773 people showed symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome, these patients prone to kidney failure and even death.

In the evolution of pathogenic bacteriaEarly in the epidemic, scientists have speculated that this pathogen is transmitted through the manure to the vegetable, and now, new genetic characteristics of bacteria found presented a new interpretation.

Researchers believe that at least 10 years ago, one of which won the E. coli to Shiga toxin genes. German National Reference Laboratory, hemolytic uremic disease outbreaks in the early announced that a small number of genes based on polymerase chain reaction analysis, the new virus and a German in 2001 from patients with hemolytic uremic bacteria isolated from the body to match. 2001, they have measured the genome sequence of bacteria and the bacteria isolated from the current comparison.


The initial data show that in 2001 with the new germs germs over from Africa close to the level of bacteria. Although isolated from African patients with the bacteria the body is a typical Escherichia coli, but the bacteria in Germany in 2001 has received Shiga toxin genes. Moreover, the current formation of new pathogens in the host of the new resistance to common antibiotics, the bacteria is evolving.

Some scientists say that it found a way to gather with intestinal bleeding and a new type of intestinal pathogenic E. coli, a bacteria need to give the new name. However, as early as 1998, by Germany, France and a team of Italian researchers published a paper in an already common description of a new pathogen bacteria similar to Germany, a Shiga toxin can produce aggregation of colon intestinal bacteria, the team of researchers speculated that bacteria present may not be a rare case of Germany, because the new virus is not a combination of a variety of pathogens, but the pathogen has already occurred.