STEC/EHEC infections from food: recognising and preventing risks
The term STEC stands for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia (E.) coli. These are mainly transmitted through contaminated food. STEC possess the eponymous Shiga toxin (formerly also known as Verocytotoxin). Shiga toxin is a powerful cytotoxin that can cause serious illness in humans. It can cause (bloody) diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure. STEC are often referred to as enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).
The best-known representative of STEC is serotype O157:H7. This serotype is most frequently associated with severe courses of disease and outbreaks worldwide, affecting a large number of patients. However, other STEC serotypes are also increasingly being detected in severe infections. STEC are difficult to recognise as these bacteria do not differ in their general characteristics from E. coli bacteria in the intestinal flora. In order to be able to identify STEC, the presence of Shiga toxins and possibly other virulence characteristics must therefore be determined in specialised laboratories.