IAFP 2011
Milwaukee, WI, USA
August 1, 2011
Summary
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a diverse group of zoonotic bacteria, which contains some of the most serious bacterial foodborne pathogens (e.g., the well-known E. coli O157 associated with bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Other non-O157 serogroups are associated with the full range of enteric illness: some have never been associated with human illness, others only with fairly mild disease, and some with disease equally as severe as that caused by the serogroup O157 strains. The non-O157 STEC have been isolated from animals and some foods. This symposium aimed to provide an update on knowledge about non-O157 STEC: What disease manifestations do they cause in humans? What makes an STEC virulent? What are the risk factors for acquiring an STEC infection? What are its reservoirs? How are they detected in human illness? Can the pathogenic ones be distinguished amongst a mixed population of STECs (i.e., from the gut of an animal)? What can be done to protect the food supply from non-O157 STEC? Should non-O157 STEC be considered an adulterant?
Co-Conveners: Peter Gerner-Smidt, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Marguerite Neill, Brown University and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island
Program
Why Worry (and About Which) Non-O157? Lessons Learned
Rajal Mody, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
STEC Pathobiology and Virulence
Lothar Beutin, PhD, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
STEC Detection/Characterization Current Status – Future Prospects
Nancy Strockbine, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Industry Perspectives on Non-O157
Timothy Freier, PhD, Cargill
Regulatory Perspectives on Non-O157
Daniel Engeljohn, PhD, US Department of Agriculture
Roundtable Discussion
Speakers and Conveners