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Nanosensors for Food Contaminant Detection
Published in C. Anandharamakrishnan, S. Parthasarathi, Food Nanotechnology, 2019
Heera Jayan, L. Bhavani Devi, C. Anandharamakrishnan
Shiga toxin, produced by E. coli enters into the human body through contaminated water and food, which results in diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Shiga toxin belongs to the “AB” family of protein toxins, and consists of one enzymatically active part (A) and five identical subunits (B), which bind to glycolipid receptors (Gal-α1,4-Gal disaccharides) on the cell surface (Sandvig, 2001). Li et al. (2017) used Gal-α(1→4)-Gal-β(1→4)-GlcNAc, which was present in pigeon ovalbumin (POA) as a recognition element for the detection of Shiga toxin. They synthesized pigeon egg white protein-immobilized AuNPs, which showed a limit of detection of 40 pM. Unlike another sensor probe where functionalizations take place after the synthesis of the nanoparticle, this method involves synthesis and functionalization in a single step.
Emerging Diseases
Published in Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell, Living with the Earth, 2018
Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell
The disease: Escherichia coli O157:H7 is pathogenic for humans and has characteristically produced bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps; sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea with very few symptoms. There is usually little or no fever and the illness resolves in 5–10 days. In some persons, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the infection may progress into a more severe and life-threatening form of the disease known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is characterized by the destruction of red blood cells and kidney failure. HUS is a life-threatening condition usually treated in an intensive care unit with blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Rapid and intensive care such as this can reduce the mortality rate to lower than 5 percent. About one third of the persons with HUS have abnormal kidney function many years later, and a few may require long-term dialysis. Another 8 percent of persons with HUS have other lifelong complications such as high blood pressure, seizures, blindness, paralysis, and sometimes removal of part of the bowel. In the United States, HUS is the leading cause of acute kidney failure in children, and most cases are caused by serotype 0157:H7. This serotype produces a group of cytotoxins known collectively as Shiga-like toxins (SLTs) that are thought to be factors producing some of its virulence.14 The toxins are very similar to toxins produced by a pathogenic Shigella, another member of the family Enterobacteriaceae.139
Molecular epidemiology of virulent E. coli among rural small scale dairy herds and shops: Efficacy of selected marine algal extracts and disinfectants
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2022
Ahmed S. Ahmed, Hassan M. Diab, Mohammed A. Alkahtani, Mohammed A. Alshehri, Hani Saber, Heba Badr, Mohamed K. Dandrawy, Ahmed A. El-Mansi, Ali A. Shati, Ahmed Ezzat Ahmed
In the present study, virulent E. coli strains harboring eaeA and hly were recovered from 39.1% to 30.4% of milk and milk product samples and 62.5% and 37.5% of water sources commonly used in villages of Qena governorates. In addition, 34.8% and 50% of E. coli identified from milk/milk products and water samples carrying the virulent Stx1 genes which were classified as STEC strains. The intimin gene (eaeA) is a well-known virulence factor, not only for EPEC and EHEC but also for a typical EPEC. It enhances the virulence of STEC showing higher frequency in human strains than those of bovine (Blanco et al. 2004). Intimin, an outer membrane protein encoded by the eaeA gene helping E. coli, was found to intimate the attachment to intestinal epithelial cells, reducing the absorption capacity and stimulating the intestinal secretion (Wilshaw et al. 2000). The alpha-hemolysin (hly) of E. coli is one of the cytolytic pore-forming toxins (PFTs) which lyse the erythrocytes giving strong cytotoxic/cytolytic action against the nucleated cells (Söderström et al. 2017). Shiga toxins (cytotoxins) produced by E. coli are associated with a variety of human illnesses such as bloody or watery diarrhea, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in possible fatal consequences (Zastempowska et al. 2016). Ruminants, especially cattle, are the main reservoir of STEC and outbreaks associated with the consumption of milk and dairy products as reported worldwide (Vendramin et al. 2014).
Sanitary status and water quality of some drinking water sources and antibiogram of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from Shika, Zaria, Nigeria
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2022
Osayande Obanor, Seniyat Larai Afegbua, Joseph Baba Ameh
There are concerns on the efforts made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 which seeks to ensure access to safe health, affordable drinking water, and adequate sanitation services by 2030 (Nwinyi et al. 2020). Sanitation and access to safe drinking water varies globally; however, the alarming problem of water scarcity and lack of basic sanitation services is mostly in developing countries (WHO and UNICEF 2021). About 827,000 deaths are attributed to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene annually in low- and middle-income countries (WHO 2019). Water sources are exposed to different contamination risks which include animal defecation, open defecation practice and pollution by on-site sanitation facilities such as pit latrines and septic systems and urban runoff (Chigor et al. 2012; Okullo et al. 2017). Inadequate safe water supplies despite the increasing demand from a growing population in Nigeria may be attributed to poor management of treatment facilities, anthropogenic activities, and poor implementation of relevant policies (WHO 2019). Consequently, over 66 million Nigerians use unsafe sources of water such as hand dug wells, boreholes, surface water and water vendors with potential detrimental public health effects (Nwinyi et al. 2020). Previous studies have reported the contamination of drinking water sources in Nigeria with various pathogens and parasites including Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae and Giardia lamblia (Igbeneghu and Lamikanra 2014; Kumpel et al. 2016). About 73% of the diarrhoeal and enteric disease burden in Nigeria is attributed to poor access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (UNICEF 2020). The Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, which are also known as enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), causes the life-threatening hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Water-borne E. coli O157:H7 transmissions have been attributed to the ingestion of contaminated drinking water or recreational waters (Schmidt et al. 2020).