A Chinese genomic sequencing company said the new strain has 93 percent sequence similarity with an African strain, but the European strain also has acquired genetic material involved in the pathogenicity of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The sequencing analysis also showed that this new bacterium “carries several antibiotic resistance genes, including resistance to aminoglycosides, macrolides, and beta-lactam antibiotics, all of which makes antibiotic treatment extremely difficult.”
Possible and confirmed cases of the new strain have been reported in 10 European countries, although all but two were in people who had recently visited northern Germany or had contact with a visitor from there.
Read the MedPage Today report on the new strain of E. coli.
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