3/14/2017 EscherichiaColi(E.

Coli):Meaning,MorphologyandCharacteristics

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EscherichiaColi(E.
Coli):Meaning,
Morphologyand
Characteristics
ArticleSharedby

Inthisarticlewewilldiscussabout
EscherichiaColi(E.Coli):1.
MeaningofEscherichiaColi2.
MorphologyandStainingof
EscherichiaColi3.Cultural
Characteristics4.Biochemical
Reaction5.AntigenicStructure6.
Toxin7.Haemolysin8.Infection:E.
ColiCauses9.AntigenicTyping10.
LaboratoryDiagnosis11.Treatment
12.MedicalImportance.

Contents:

1.MeaningofEscherichiaColi
2.MorphologyandStainingof
EscherichiaColi
3.CulturalCharacteristicsofEscherichia
Coli
4.BiochemicalReactionofEscherichia
Coli
5.AntigenicStructureofEscherichiaColi
6.Toxin
7.Haemolysin
8.Infection:E.ColiCauses
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3/14/2017 EscherichiaColi(E.Coli):Meaning,MorphologyandCharacteristics

9.AntigenicTypingofE.Coli
10.LaboratoryDiagnosisofEscherichia
Coli
11.TreatmentofEscherichiaColi
12.MedicalImportanceofEscherichiaColi

1.MeaningofEscherichiaColi:
E.coliisanintestinalpathogenor
commensalofthehumanoranimal
intestineandisvoidedinthefaeces
remainingviableintheenvironmentonly
forsomedays.DetectionofE.coliin
drinkingwaterisanindicationofpollution
withfaeces.

2.MorphologyandStainingof
EscherichiaColi:

E.coliisGramnegativestraightrod,13
x0.40.7,arrangedsinglyorinpairs
(Fig.28.1).Itismotilebyperitrichous
flagellae,thoughsomestrainsarenon
motile.Sporesarenotformed.Capsules
andfimbriaearefoundinsomestrains.

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3/14/2017 EscherichiaColi(E.Coli):Meaning,MorphologyandCharacteristics

3.CulturalCharacteristicsof
EscherichiaColi:

Itisanaerobeandafacultativeanaerobe.
Theoptimumgrowthtemperatureis37C.
OnNutrientagar,coloniesarelarge,thick,
greyishwhite,moist,smooth,opaqueor
translucentdiscs.Thesmooth(s)form
seeninfreshisolationiseasilyemulsified
insaline,whereastherough(R)formoften
autoagglutinatesinsaline.

Somestrainsmayformmucoid
colonies.OnMacConkeyagarmedium,
coloniesarebrightpinkduetolactose
fermentation.

Onselectivemedia(Desoxycholatecitrate
agarDCAsalmonellashigellaSS
medium)usedfortheisolationof
salmonella,theirgrowthisinhibited,
howevertheircoloniesarepinkonDCAas
itcontainslactoseandneutralred.In
broth,thereisgeneralizedturbidityand
depositwhichdispersesonshaking.
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ADVERTISEMENTS:

4.BiochemicalReactionof
EscherichiaColi:

Glucose,lactose,mannitol,maltoseare
fermentedwithacidandgasproduction,
butsucroseisnotfermentedbytypical
strainofE.coli.InTriplesugariron(TSI),
acidandgasareproduced.

Thefourbiochemicaltestswidelyusedfor
enterobacteriaceaeclassificationare
Indole(I),MethylRed(MR),Voges
Proskauer(VP)andCitrate(C)utilisation
whicharereferredtobythemnemonic
IMV(1)C.E.coliisIndoleandMRpositive
VPandcitratenegative(IMV(1)C++),
H2Sisnotformedandureaisnot
hydrolysed.

5.AntigenicStructureofEscherichia
Coli:
ADVERTISEMENTS:

E.colihasThreeAntigens:

OSomatic,GreekOhneHauchwithout
flagellaHflagellaGreekHauchflagella
andK(Kapsular)antigens.Kantigenisan
envelopeantigen,whichenclosestheO
antigen,rendersthestraininagglutinable
bytheOantiserumandcontributesto
virulencebyinhibitingphagocytosis.

ItmaybeofthreetypesL,AandB.
ThoughLtypeiscommon,theBantigenis

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3/14/2017 EscherichiaColi(E.Coli):Meaning,MorphologyandCharacteristics

medicallyimportantasitisfoundon
enteropathogenicE.coli.

F(Fimbrial)Antigen:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

TheFantigenhasnosignificancein
antigenicclassificationofE.coli.TypeI
fimbriaemediatesadhesionofbacterium
tohumanandanimalcells.Suchadhesion
enhancesbacterialpathogenicitye.g.
urinarytractinfectioninwhichtypeI
fimbriaehassomepossibleroletoplay.

Severalfibrinstructuresresembling
fimbriaehavebeendemonstrated.They,
mostprobably,playaveryimportantrole
inpathogenesisofdiarrhoealdiseasesand
urinarytractinfection.

6.Toxin:

BesidestheendotoxinassociatedwithO
antigen,somestrainsproducetwotypesof
exotoxinenterotoxinandhaemolysin.
Enterotoxinsresponsiblefordiarrhoeaare
oftwotypesheatlabile(LT)heatstable
(ST).

LTissimilartocholeraenterotoxin
antigenicallyandinitsmechanismof
actionbystimulatingtheadenylcyclase
cyclicadenosinemonophosphate(cAMP)
systemtoproducefluidaccumulationin
theintestinallumen.STappearsto
stimulatefluidsecretionintothegut
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3/14/2017 EscherichiaColi(E.Coli):Meaning,MorphologyandCharacteristics

throughthemediationofcyclicguanosine
monophosphate(cGMP)resultinginto
dehydration.

7.HaemolysinbyEscherichiaColi:
ThreetypesofhaemolysinsproducedbyE.
coliarenotrelatedtopathogenesis.E.coli
formsapartofnormalintestinalfloraof
manandanimalandthecommensal
strainsbelongtoseveralOgroups.There
aremanystrainsofE.coliwhichinclude
commensalstrainsaswellasstrainswith
virulencedeterminantsthatcauseawide
varietyofinfectionsofallagegroupsof
menandanimals.

ThevirulentstrainsofE.coliarespecific
pathogensinthegut(enteritis)andof
extraintestinalsites(urinarytract
infection,woundinfection).

ClinicalinfectionscausedbyEsch.
coliare:

1.Urinarytractinfection(UTI)

2.Septicinfectionsofwound

3.Diarrhoea

4.Dysentery

5.Septicaemia

6.Pneumonia

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7.Neonatalmeningitis

8.Abscessinvariousorgans.

OtherpathogensofthefamilyEntero
bacteriaceaecausingUTIareKlebsiella,
Proteus(P.mirabilis),Providenceand
Citrobacter.Grampositiveorganisms
(Staph,aureus,Enterococcus,Str.
pyogenes)arealsofrequentpathogensof
UTI.

Thehospitalacquiredinfectionsfollowing
instrumentationandcatheterisationare
mostlyduetoPseudomonasandProteus.
Pregnantwomen(68%)dosufferfrom
asymptomaticbacteriuria,ifundetected
anduntreated,whichmayterminateinto
symptomaticinfectionlaterinpregnancy
resultingtopyelonephritisand
hypertension.

Calculi,enlargedprostate,pregnancyare
predisposingfactorsinUTI.Thereservoir
ofinfectionisthebacterialfloraofcolon.
Urinarytractinfectionisusuallyfromthe
perineuminascendingorderviaurethra.

AprerequisiteforUTIisthecolonisation
ofperiurethralareabythepathogens.Due
toshortnessofurethra,thefemalesare
morepronetothisinfection.The
haematogenousspreadofthisinfection
maybepossibleinnewborn.

8.Infection:E.ColiCauses:
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(1)Infantileacutediarrhoeaor
gastroenteritis

(2)Urinarytractinfectioninpregnant
womenandmenwithprostatitis

(3)Woundandburninfection,and

(4)Septicaemia.

1.Diarrhoea:

FourgroupsofE.coliresponsible
fordiarrhoeaininfants,children
andadultsare:

EnteropathogenicE.coli(EPEC)
EnterotoxigenicE.coli(ETEC)
EnteroinvasiveE.coli(EIEC)
EnterohaemorrhagicE.coli(EHEC).

EPEC:

EPECisresponsibleforinfantile
diarrhoea.Thepathogenicmechanismof
EPEChasonlyrecentlybeendeveloped.
Theyadheretotheintestinalmucosa,
causethelossofmicrovilliandpreventthe
entryofbacteriaintothemucosa.They
alsoproduceashigellaliketoxin.

ETEC:

Theenterotoxinsarenowknownto
producediarrhoeainchildrenwith
dehydration,travellersdiarrhoeain

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adults,andsometimescholerainfantum
similartocholera.ETECalsopossess
colonisationfactors(pili,Kantigen)to
enhancetheirvirulence.

EIEC:

EIECdonotproduceenterotoxinbut
invadetheintestinalmucosalikedysentery
bacilli.Theycausekeratoconjunctivitison
instillationintotheeyesofguineapig
(Serenytest)whichisadiagnosticmethod
forEIEC.

Anotherdiagnosticmethodistheir
invasionofHeLacellsintissueculture.
EIECislatelactosefermenterandmaybe
anaerogenic.Theyhaveantigenic
relationshipwithshigella.

EHEC:

EHEChasbeenveryrecentlyidentified
andisfoundtocausecolitiswithmarked
haemorrhageandabsenceoffever,
producesVerotoxin(Cytotoxin)which
affectstheVerocellsintissueculture.

9.AntigenicTypingofE.Coli:

EachE.colihasbeenprimarilysubdivided
intoanumberofOgroupswhichhave
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beensubdividedintosubgroupswith
differentKantigens.Eachsubgroup
includesstrainswithdifferentHantigens
separatenumberswerepreviouslyallotted
forBantigens,butafterwardsthese
numbershavebeenincludedinthesame
consecutiveseriesastherestofKantigens.

Thus,astrainisrecordedas0111K58
H12.TheBnumberisnomoreinuse,or,
whenused,theoldnumberofBiswritten
withinbracketse.g.0111K58(B4)H12.

a.Urinarytractinfection:

ItiscausedbyE.coliduring
catheterisationorpregnancyordueto
urinaryobstructionbyprostitis.
Pyelonephritisisproduceddueto
haematogenousinfection.

b.Pyogenicinfection:

Superficialinfections(woundorburn)or
deepinfections(peritonitis,cholecystitis,
meningitisinchildren)arecausedbyE.
coli.

c.Septicaemia:

E.coli,PseudomonasaeruginosaorGram
negativebacillisepticaemiais
characterisedbyfever,hypotension,
endotoxicshock(intravascular
coagulation).

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10.LaboratoryDiagnosisof
EscherichiaColi:

1.Diarrhoea:

ForthedetectionofEPEC,freshdiarrhoeal
stoolisplateddirectlyonbloodagarand
MacConkeyagarmedium.Afterovernight
incubation,E.colicoloniesareemulsified
insalineonaslideandtestedby
agglutinationwithpolyvalentand
monovalentOantiserumagainstentero
pathogenicserotypesandfurther
identifiedbybiochemicaltests.

Enzymelinkedimmunosorbentassay
(ELISA)testissimplestandusedtodetect
LTofETEC.LTandcholeraenterotoxin
areantigenicallysimilar.Sereneytestis
theonlymethodavailablerecentlyto
demonstrateEIEC.

2.UrinaryTractInfection:

Catheterisationforurinecollectionisnot
advisablefordiagnosisasitleadsto
urinarytractinfection.Hence,inmale,
aftercleaningtheretractedprepuceand
glanspenis,withsterilecottonsoakedin
sterilenormalsaline,thefirstportionof
urinethatflushesoutcommensalbacteria
fromtheanterioruretherisdiscarded.

Thenextportion(midstream)ofurineis
collectedinasterilewidemouthed
containeranddespatchedimmediatelyto
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thelaboratoryastheurineisanideal
mediumforthegrowthofbacteria.Ifthere
isadelayof23hours,itshouldbe
refrigerated.

Quantitativecultureisdonebypourplate
orsurfaceculturemethodsusingtenfold
dilutedurine.Intheactiveurinarytract
infection,theurinewillcontain100,000
bacteriaormoreperml.whichisreferred
toassignificantbacteriuria,counts
of10,000bacteriaorlessareindicativeof
contamination.

Themostcommonlyusedstandard
loopmethodcantransferafixedsmall
volumeofurineonnoninhibitorymedium
(Bloodagar)forestimationofbacteriaand
onanindicativemedium(MacConkey
medium)forpresumptivediagnosisof
bacteriuria.Theisolatesarefurther
identifiedandtestedforantibiotic
sensitivity.Antibioticsensitivitymayalso
bedonedirectlyusingtheurinesamples.

Otherscreeningtechniquesforthe
presumptivediagnosisofsignificant
bacteriuriaare:

(1)GriessnitritetestThepresenceof
nitriteindicatesthepresenceofnitrate
reducingbacteriainurinebutnitriteis
absentinnormalurine.

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(2)CatalasetestThefrothingon
additionofhydrogenperoxidedueto
catalaseisanindicationofbacteriuria.

3)Triphenyltetrazoliumchloridetestis
basedontheproductionofpinkred
precipitateinthereagentduetothe
respiratoryactivityofgrowingbacteria.

(4)Microscopicdemonstrationofbacteria
inGramstainedfilmofurine.

(5)Glucosetestpaperisbasedonthe
utilisationofminuteamountofglucose
presentinnormalurinebybacteria
causingtheinfection.

(6)DipslideculturemethodAgarcoated
slidesareimmersedintheurineor
exposedtothestreamofurineare
incubatedandthecoloniesareestimated
bycolonycounter.Thesescreeningtests
arenotsensitiveandreliableascultural
test.

Theantibodycoatedbacteriatesthasbeen
employedforlocalisationofthesiteof
urinaryinfection.Pyogenicinfectionand
septicaemiadiagnosisdependsonthe
isolationofbacteriaonculture.

11.TreatmentofEscherichiaColi:

InfantilediarrhoeacanbetreatedbyOral
RehydrationSolution(ORS)asperWorld

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3/14/2017 EscherichiaColi(E.Coli):Meaning,MorphologyandCharacteristics

HealthOrganisation(WHO
recommendation).

12.MedicalImportanceof
EscherichiaColi:
E.coliismedicallyimportantbecauseit

(a)Isusedtoproduceinsulinbyadopting
thegeneticengineeringtechnique,

(b)Producescertainvitaminsinthe
intestine,

(c)Isusedasparametertodeterminethe
faecalcontaminationofdrinkingwater,

(d)Isusedfortheplasmidstudyinthe
bacterialgenetics.

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