A few times a day I get and email from ProMED updating me on the status of outbreaks around the world. As for the recent German outbreak, ProMED says it appears that the culprit is an O104, non-O157 E. coli. This outbreak once again underscores the relevance of non-O157 strains of verotoxin-producing E. coli_ Other E. coli_serogroups that have been associated with VTEC (verotoxin-producing _E. coli_) disease include motile ones such as O26:H11 and O104:H21 and non-motile ones such as O111:NM (or H-). Such non-O157 isolates can be obtained from sheep and cattle and, although they cause as many as 30 percent of outbreaks of VTEC, appear to be somewhat less (or at least more variably) virulent in a variety of in vivo and in vitro assays.

Here is ProMED’s update on past non-O157 outbreaks:

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – Japan: O111, raw beef, 2010

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – USA (07): O26, ground beef, alert, recall

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – USA (06): O145, lettuce

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – USA (03): O145, lettuce, recall

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – USA (02): (OH, MI, NY) O145

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – USA: (MI, OH) 2008

E. coli VTEC non-O157, restaurant – USA (04): (OK), O111

E. coli VTEC non-O157, restaurant – USA: (OK), O111

E. coli VTEC non-O157, ice cream, 2007 – Belgium: Antwerp

E. coli VTEC non-O157, beef sausage – Denmark

E. coli VTEC non-O157, 2000-2005 – USA (CT)

E. coli VTEC non-O157, lettuce – USA (UT)(02)

E. coli VTEC non-O157, lettuce – USA (UT)

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – Norway (03)

E. coli VTEC non-O157 – Norway

E. coli VTEC non-O157, minced beef – Norway 2005

E. coli O145, fatal – Slovenia 2003

E. coli, VTEC non-O157 – UK (Scotland)

E. coli, VTEC non-O157 – UK (Scotland) 2001

E. coli O26 – South Korea 1999

E. coli O111, diarrhea – USA (Texas) 1997

E. coli, non-0157 – Belgium