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Microbial Toxins in Foods: The Importance of Escherichia coli, a Versatile Enemy

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Microbial Toxins and Related Contamination in the Food Industry

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science ((BRIEFSCHEFO))

Abstract

When speaking of food microbiology, analysts and hygiene professionals are accustomed to starting their discussions with a relatively less number of food pathogen bacteria, in spite of the great variety of microbiological risks in the food and beverage sector. A few micro-organisms are well known with reference to the possibility of showing diversified strains. In other words, one specific micro-organism can spread into the environment and in selected ‘culture media’ like foods with the possible ‘permutation’ of the original strain in several sub-strains with different properties and features. This is the situation of Escherichia coli, the most important micro-organism in the group of so-called ‘Coliform’ bacteria. E. coli is a typical commensal of the intestinal tract of animals and humans. For its abundant presence in the colonic microflora, it is used as one of the most important indicators of faecal contamination in food and water. However, some subsets within this species have acquired specific virulence genes. Enteric strains have been divided into different pathotypes, depending on virulence factors and pathogenic features. In the present chapter, various E. coli pathotypes are described; particular relevance is given to toxin-producing strains. Additionally, this work intends to provide useful information about related toxins, their known chemical properties and the most used analytical methods in the food sector.

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Abbreviations

AAF:

Aggregative Adherence Fimbrium

A/E:

Attaching-and-Effacing

CT:

Cholera Toxin

CF:

Colonisation Factor

CFU:

Colony Forming Unit

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

DAEC:

Diffusely Adherent E. coli

EAEC:

Enteroaggregative E. coli

EAST-1:

Enteroaggregative Heat-Stable Toxin 1

EHEC:

Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli

EIEC:

Enteroinvasive E. coli

EPEC:

Enteropathogenic E. coli

ETEC:

Enterotoxigenic E. coli

ELISA:

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

LT:

Heat-Labile

ST:

Heat-Stable

STa:

Heat-Stable a

STb:

Heat-Stable b

IMS:

Immunomagnetic Separation

LEE:

Locus Enterocyte Effacement

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

PCR:

Polymerase Chain Reaction

RTE:

Ready-to-Eat

RKI:

Robert Koch Institute

SPATE:

Serine Protease Auto Transporter of Enterobacteriaceae

Stx:

Shiga Toxin

STEC:

Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli

ShET-1:

Shigella Enterotoxin 1

SMAC:

Sorbitol-MacConkey

VTEC:

Verotoxigenic E. coli

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Industrial Consultant, Via G. La Farina 3, 90141, Palermo, Italy

    Giorgia Caruso

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 1, Zip code 98125, Messina, Italy

    Antonino Santi Delia

  3. Italian National Research Council, Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122, Messina, Italy

    Gabriella Caruso

  4. Industrial Consultant, Via Roccazzo 25, 90135, Palermo, Italy

    Salvatore Parisi

  5. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125, Messina, Sicily, Italy

    Pasqualina Laganà

Authors
  1. Giorgia Caruso
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  2. Antonino Santi Delia
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  3. Gabriella Caruso
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  4. Salvatore Parisi
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  5. Pasqualina Laganà
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Correspondence to Salvatore Parisi .

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Caruso, G., Santi Delia, A., Caruso, G., Parisi, S., Laganà, P. (2015). Microbial Toxins in Foods: The Importance of Escherichia coli, a Versatile Enemy. In: Microbial Toxins and Related Contamination in the Food Industry. SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20559-5_4

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