Escherichia Coli

General E.coli features

Gram negative
Facultative anaerobe
Motile (flagella)
Inhabit the intestines
Commensal (usually)

E.coli can be...

a pathogen
commensal
opportunistic

E.coli is ubiquitous in

the microbiome

E.coli infections can fall into 2 categories:

Intestinal diarrhoeagenic E.coli

Extra-Intestinal ExPEC (extra-intestinal Pathogenic E.coli)

E.coli virulence factors

Pili & fimbriae - adhesins
Toxins - act on gut
Secretion systems - deliver proteins to alter host cells
Lipopolysaccharide
Pathogenicity Islands - region of DNA coding for virulence factors

How does E.coli infect cells?

Horizontal gene transfer
(conjugation, transduction, transformation)

Which 2 types of secretion systems are in E.coli? How do they work?

Type III & IV
Actively carry proteins
Inject into host
Cause disease

APEC and symptoms

Avian Pathogenic E.coli
- respiratory distress
- deposits on heart
- reproductive tract infection
- septicaemia

What disease in cows can E.coli contribute to?

mastitis