The rare O104:H4 strain responsible for the deadliest Escherichia coli outbreak in history is a clone that combines the virulence potentials of two different pathogens - the Shiga toxin producing ability of enterohemorrhagic E coli (EHEC) and the adherence abilities of enteroaggregative E coli (EAEC) - which might explain its greater virulence and the unusually high number of infections resulting in complications and death. The findings published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, have profound implications for disease detection, reporting, and food safety.
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"Characterisation of the Escherichia coli strain associated with an outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome in Germany, 2011: a microbiological study"
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(11)70165-7/abstract
