GROWING CONCERNS AND RECENT OUTBREAKS INVOLVING NON-O157-H7 SEROTYPESOF VEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA-COLI

Verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) of serotype O157:H7 have been s hown to be important agents of foodborne disease in humans worldwide. While the majority of research effort has been targeted on this seroty pe it is becoming more evident that other serotypes of VTEC can also b e associated with human disease. An increasing number of these non-O15 7:H7 VTEC have been isolated from humans suffering from HUS and diarrh ea. Recently a number of foodborne outbreaks in the USA, Australia, an d other countries have been attributed to non-O157:H7 VTEC serotypes. Surveys of animal populations in a variety of countries have shown tha t the cattle reservoir contains more than 100 serotypes of VTEC, many of which are similar to those isolated from humans. The diversity and complexity of the VTEC family requires that laboratories and public he alth surveillance systems have the ability to detect and monitor all s erotypes of VTEC.