Review of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Prevalence, Pathogenicity, Heavy Metal and Antimicrobial Resistance, African Perspective

Figures & data

Figure 1 E. coli O157:H7 infection. Healthy cattle are the main reservoir of E. coli O157:H7 and temporarily carry this microorganism without any visible symptoms. Contaminated cattle products and culture are the main causes of human infection. Reproduced with permission from Lim JY, Yoon JW, Hovide CJ. A Brief Overview of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Its Plasmid O157. J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2010;20(1):5–14. Copyright © The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology.

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Figure 2 Different virulence factors produced by pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 which causes infections. Reproduced with permission from Lim JY, Yoon JW, Hovide CJ. A Brief Overview of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Its Plasmid O157. J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2010;20(1):5–14. Copyright © The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY).¹

Table 1 Selected Different Classes of Antimicrobial Agents and Their Modes of Action and Resistance Mechanisms*

Antibiotic Class	Examples	Mode of Action	Resistance Mechanisms
β-Lactams	Ampicillin, Cefotaxime, Aztreonam	Inhibition of cell wall biosynthesis	Enzymatic inactivation of the antibiotic (β-lactamases), and mutation of penicillin-binding proteins; porins
Fluoroquinolones	Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin	Inhibition of DNA gyrase during DNA replication	Mutation of DNA gyrase and drug efflux
Aminoglycosides	Gentamicin, Tobramycin	Impairment of codon-anticodon interaction causing accumulation of defect proteins	Enzymatic inactivation/ modification of the antibiotic
Tetracycline/Glycylcyclines	Tigecycline	Inhibition of protein synthesis (affect t-RNA binding to 30S ribosome)	Efflux of drug and enzymatic inactivation of the antibiotic

Note: *Table was compiled accordingly to reference.¹²⁵

Lim JY, Yoon JW, Hovide CJ. A BRIEF overview of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Its Plasmid O157. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2010;20(1):5–14. doi:10.4014/jmb.0908.08007

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Lupindu AM, Olsen JE, Ngowi HA, et al. Occurrence and characterization of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other nonsorbitol–fermenting E. coli in cattle and humans in urban areas of Morogoro, Tanzania. Vector-Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2014;14(7):503–510. doi:10.1089/vbz.2013.1502

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