Detection of STEC/VTEC and the eight most important serotypes in food at BAV INSTITUT

Detection of STEC/VTEC and the eight most important serotypes in food at BAV INSTITUT

Detection of STEC/VTEC and the eight most important serotypes in food at BAV INSTITUT

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Jun 25, 2021 - Foods

Detection of STEC/VTEC and the eight most important serotypes in food at BAV INSTITUT

 

Certain STEC/VTEC strains are repeatedly the cause of severe foodborne illnesses and costly recalls.

STEC/VTEC (Shiga- or Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli) are bacteria that have the property of producing strong cell toxins, known as Shiga and Verotoxins. The terms STEC and VTEC are used synonymously.

 

Not all STEC/VTEC cause illness in humans. The eight aforementioned serotypes are by far the most common culprits of these foodborne infections. In some cases, these bacteria can cause further complications, such as severe bloody-mucous diarrhea with fever, followed by a hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause severe kidney damage. The abbreviation HUS stands for hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Certain STEC/VTEC strains responsible for EHEC illnesses are only referred to as EHEC pathogens if they cause an EHEC infection.

The most well-known EHEC infection-causing pathogen is Escherichia coli O157:H7. Other commonly represented serogroups are O26, O45, O103, O104:H4, O111, O121, and O145.

O104:H4 caused the largest EHEC outbreak in Germany to date, which was associated with fenugreek sprouts, resulting in approximately 4,000 illnesses and 53 deaths.

 

For preventive consumer protection reasons and because it is not yet definitively known which characteristics make an STEC/VTEC an EHEC, all STEC/VTEC are still considered potential EHEC pathogens.

 

In our laboratory, we regularly conduct testing for Escherichia coli, STEC/VTEC, and other pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes. We have extensive routine in this field and provide you with fast and reliable results. Our customer service representatives are available to answer any questions you may have.

 

Testing steps in our laboratory:

  1. Enrichment
  2. Realtime (RT)-PCR
  3. Cultural confirmation in case of a positive result (upon consultation)
  4. If necessary or upon customer request: Serotyping (O26, O45, O103, O104, O111, O121, O145, O157)

 

More information about Escherichia coli and STEC/VTEC can also be found in our BAV profiles at

 

Our customer advisors are at your disposal for further inquiries. 

 

 

 

Sources: 

Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) – https://www.bfr.bund.de:

Robert Koch Institute (RKI) - https://www.rki.de

Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL Bayern) - https://www.lgl.bayern.de

Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Laves) - https://www.laves.niedersachsen.de