ESCHERICHIA COLI BACTERIA

Escherichia coli

Four different strains of Escherichia coli on Endo agar with biochemical slope (see here). Glucose fermentation with gas production, urea and H2S
negative, lactose positive (with exception of strain D - "late lactose fermenter"; on Endo agar it looks like lactose negative). All four strains are
mannitol positive (best seen in fig. D), cellobiose negative (strains A, B). Approximately 50% of E.coli strains are sucrose negative (fig.A, D). Colonies
of some strains have typical greenish metallic sheen (fig.E) but many of them grow without it (fig.F).
Escherichia coli (commonly abbreviated E. coli) is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of
warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans. The
harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2, and by preventing the establishment
of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine. E. coli and related bacteria constitute about 0.1% of gut flora, and fecal-oral transmission is the major
route through which pathogenic strains of the bacterium cause disease.

Gastrointestinal infection

Certain strains of E. coli, such as O157:H7, O104:H4, O121, O26, O103, O111, O145, and O104:H21, produce potentially lethal
toxins. Food poisoning caused by E. coli can result from eating unwashed vegetables or undercooked meat. O157:H7 is
also notorious for causing serious and even life-threatening complications such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The
O104:H4 strain is equally virulent. It is the strain behind the deadly June 2011 E. coli outbreak in Europe.

Enteric E. coli (EC) are classified on the basis of serological characteristics and virulence properties:

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)

Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)
Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)
Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)
Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)
Escherichia coli and Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

Escherichia coli and urinary tract infections are often discussed together as E. coli (uropathogenic E. coli, UPEC) is often indicated as the major
cause of UTIs. Basically, the urinary tract comprises the parts of the body responsible for the removal of body waste and excess water, and the
maintenance of electrolyte balance in the body. The urinary tract includes the kidneys, the bladder, the urethra and the ureters.

Causes of UTIs

Naturally, the urinary system is immune to infections; therefore, certain microorganisms must invade it before it can beinfected. In ascending
infections, fecal bacteria colonize the urethra and spread up the urinary tract to the bladder as well as to the kidneys (causing pyelonephritis), or
the prostate in males. Because women have a shorter urethra than men, they are more likely to suffer from an ascending UTI.Escherichia coli are
the main causative bacteria of UTIs; they are responsible for 4 out of 5 cases of the infections. UropathogenicE. coli use P fimbriae (pyelonephritis-
associated pili) to bind urinary tract endothelial cells and colonize the bladder. UropathogenicE. coli often produce alpha- and beta-hemolysins,
which cause lysis of urinary tract cells.

Apart from E. coli, other bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus spp. are also capable of causing urinary tract infections. The most common yeasts causing complicated and
uncomplicated urinary tract infections are Candida albicans and other Candida species (e.g., C.glabrata). Rarely they may be due to viral or
parasitic infections.

Symptoms of UTIs
In some cases, urinary tract infections and other Escherichia coli infections are often unnoticed as they show no
symptoms. However, their common symptoms include:

Burning sensations during urination

Feverish conditions
Constant, strong urge to urinate
In male – pain in the rectal region
In female – pain in the pelvis
Frequency, intense passing out of small amounts of urine
Urine with appearances of blood and/or foul odor
Pain around the hips, abdomen, or lower back region

Complications

There are rarely any major complications associated with urinary tract infections. However, if the infections are left
untreated for long, chronic infections may develop with conditions such as kidney stone, abscesses, fistulas and, in
some rare cases, cancer of the bladder, kidney damages or death.

Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections

The infections are generally treated with the aid of antibiotics which are substances capable of destroying bacteria and
other related organisms in the body. Antibiotics can either be given orally (e.g., nitrofurantoin) or intravenously based on
the severity of the infections. They are given orally if the infections are still at their mild state, while they would be given
via the vein (intravenous mode) in severe cases.

Preventions of Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections can be prevented through:

 Avoidance of contraceptive devices with spermicidal products
Taking of enough fluids, especially water
Ensuring of proper hygiene, especially around the genitals when urinating or after sex
Prevention of E. coli spread through keeping raw food clean, preventing contamination of cooking utensils, proper
washing of foods, avoiding raw milk etc.

Neonatal meningitis

It is produced by a serotype of Escherichia coli that contains a capsular antigen called K1. The colonisation of the
newborn's intestines with these strains, that are present in the mother's vagina, lead to bacteraemia, which leads to
meningitis. And because of the absence of the IgM antibodies from the mother (these do not cross the placenta because
FcRn only mediates the transfer of IgG), plus the fact that the body recognises as self the K1 antigen, as it resembles the
cerebral glicopeptides, this leads to a severe meningitis in the neonates.

Escherichia coli basic characteristics

GRAM-NEGATIVE RODS
MOTILE
NON-SPORE-FORMING
CATALASE: POSITIVE
OXIDASE: NEGATIVE
FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC

Escherichia coli biochemical identification

MacConkey Indole Methyl Voges- Citrate Hydrogen Urea Lysine Arginine Ornithine
growth production red Proskauer (Simmons) sulfide(TSI) hydrol. decarb. dihydrol. decarb.
POS. POS. POS. NEG. NEG. NEG. NEG. POS. d D
Motility D-glucose D-mannitol Sucrose Lactose D-sorbitol Cellobiose Esculin Acetate ONPG test
(36 °C) acid/gas ferm. ferm. ferm. ferm. hydrol. utiliz.
POS. POS./POS. POS. D POS. POS. NEG. NEG. D POS.

POS. positive ( > 90% of strains are positive)

D most positive (51 - 89%)
d most negative (11 - 50%)
NEG. negative (0 - 10%)

Antibiotic treatment of Escherichia coli infections

Should be always guided by in vitro susceptibility tests!!

Selection of appropriate antibiotics depends on diagnosis!!

IF SUSCEPTIBLE:
Cephalosporins I, II, III (e.g., ceftriaxone)
Ampicillin
Aminoglycosides
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
Doxycycline
Nitrofurantoin

ALTERNATIVES:
Quinolones (e.g., norfloxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin)
Imipenem
Meropenem
AMP + GEN

List of antibiotics (Wikipedia)

Escherichia coli colonies on agar cultivation media

E.coli on blood agar

E.coli on MacConkey

E.coli on Endo agar

E.coli on CLED agar

Other solid cultivation media for microbiology

E.coli sensitivity to antibiotics

Escherichia coli identification
E.coli Gram-stain