Bacteria of the species Escherichia (E.) coli are part of the normal intestinal flora in humans and animals. If they acquire the ability to produce a specific toxin, shiga toxin, they are called shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) after this toxin. STEC are sensitive to heat but survive in frozen foods and in acidic environments. The terms verotoxin-forming E. coli (VTEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) are used as synonyms for STEC. These pathogenic types can also cause fatal diseases.

Worldwide. Since 1982, STEC has been known as a diarrheal agent and cause of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats) and wild animals (deer and roe deer)

Transmission of the bacteria occurs mainly through the consumption of contaminated food, such as raw beef mince, Mettwurst, salami, raw milk, but also plant foods cultivated on fields fertilized with cattle manure and consumed raw, as well as industrially produced sprouts. Of importance are transmissions after contact with ruminants (petting zoos), if no appropriate cleaning of the hands (hand washing with soap) is carried out afterwards, as well as human-to-human chains of infection, which is to be observed especially in community facilities (kindergartens, old people's homes, etc.). It is assumed that 50-100 STEC germs are sufficient to cause the disease in healthy people.

Between 2 and 8 days, mostly 3-4 days

The disease usually begins with watery diarrhea, which often becomes bloody after a few days and may be accompanied by severe nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. The disease is predominantly self-limiting and lasts on average eight to ten days. In about 5-10% of cases, especially in young children, a characteristic secondary disease, the life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), may develop days after the onset of diarrhea. The toxin binds to special receptors on the cell walls and damages blood capillaries; this can lead to kidney failure (lack of urine formation), anemia, reduced platelet count, skin hemorrhages and neurological changes.

Animals: calf diarrhea may occasionally be (co-)caused by STEC. STEC can also sporadically cause diarrhea in lambs, goats, dogs, and cats. In pigs, a subtype of STEC causes the so-called edema disease.

Treatment with antibiotics is generally considered contraindicated because the bacteria produce increased toxin when exposed to antibiotics, which can increase the complication rate. Therapy that rebalances the water and electrolyte balance is usually sufficient. In severe cases (e.g., HUS), intensive medical treatment is required, such as blood washing.

Since ruminants and wild ruminants are considered to be the reservoir of these bacteria, strict adherence to hygiene regulations, e.g. washing hands after animal contact, is of great importance. Persons who have contracted STEC infections must not be employed in the commercial production, handling or marketing of foodstuffs until a decision by the health authority indicates that they are no longer likely to spread the disease. This also applies mutatis mutandis to employees in kitchens of restaurants, canteens, hospitals, infant and children's homes and in communal catering areas.

In 2023, 584 laboratory-confirmed STEC cases were reported to the Epidemiological Reporting System (EMS) (EMS, as at 28.02.2024). The incidence is therefore 6.4/100,000 population. The increase in cases since 2016 is primarily due to the fact that laboratories are increasingly using culture-independent detection methods and therefore more patient samples are also being analysed for STEC. The severe complication HUS occurred in 23 patients.

In 2023, approx. 1,000 food samples were analysed for STEC, mainly meat and meat preparations (approx. 700 samples), ready-to-eat food (approx. 60 samples) and milk and dairy products (approx. 220 samples).

STEC were detected in 23 samples, including 5 times in fresh venison.

Meat: STEC were found in 14 of 197 raw meat samples (different animal species, including game meat), whereby these pathogens were mainly detected in meat samples from wild animals (5 of 68 samples). STEC were found in one fresh beef sample (n = 68).

Milk: STEC were detected in one raw cow's milk sample and one cheese, all other dairy products were STEC-negative.

Seven STEC strains were isolated from baking mixes, ready-made dough and flour (n=123).

Based on their antigen structure, E. coli, and thus also STEC, can be classified into different serogroups (O-like surface antigens "without puff"). The most important STEC serogroup worldwide is O157. Other frequently isolated serogroups are O26, O91, O103, O111, and O145. More and more serogroups could be identified in association with human STEC diseases.

In addition, there are two types of shigatoxins, Stx1 and Stx2. The shiga toxin (stx) genes can be further subdivided into subtypes (stx1a to stx1c and stx2a to stx2i). Severe disease, especially bloody diarrhea and complications such as HUS, are mainly caused by stx2-positive STEC strains.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis is made after clinical suspicion at the National Reference Center for Escherichia coli, including verotoxin-producing E. coli , by detection of a verotoxin gene or cultural culturing of the germs, by detection of verotoxin in stool, or (for HUS only) by detection of specific antibodies in blood:

• Detection of enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), enteropathogenic E . coli (EPEC), enterotoxic E. coli (ETEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC), and STEC in human stool specimens.
• Isolation and cultural detection of STEC from human stool, food, and environmental samples using selective nutrient media, immunomagnetic separation, slide agglutination, and PCR
• Confirmation and typing of submitted isolates using biochemical and molecular biology methods
• Serotyping
• Fine typing of STEC: typing of shigatoxin genes (PCR), subtyping of shigatoxin genes and typing of other virulence genes (whole genome sequencing)
• Identification of epidemiological correlations of different isolates using whole genome sequencing data
• Detection of specific antibodies in HUS in human serum
• Keeping a master collection of all human, veterinary, feed and food isolates
• Clarification of sources of infection and transmission routes in the context of outbreak investigations
• Consultation on questions of diagnostics, compulsory reporting, epidemiology, food safety, prevention and preventive measures.