Meet The Microbiologist - The Scientists Behind The Microbiology

Pathogenic E. coli are different than lab-grown or commensal E. coli found in the gut microbiome. Alfredo Torres describes the difference between these, the method his lab is using the develop vaccines against pathogenic E. coli, and how this same method can be used to develop vaccines against Burkholderia infections. Julie’s Biggest Takeaways: coli plays many roles inside and outside the scientific laboratory: Laboratory E. coli strains used by scientists to study molecular biology. Commensal E. coli strains contribute to digestion and health as part of the intestinal microbiome. Pathogenic E. coli strains have acquired factors that allow them to cause disease in people The pathogenic E. coli associated with diarrheal disease are the ones named for their O-antigen and flagellar H-antigen, such as O157:H7. There are about 30 E. coli strains with various combinations of O-H factors known to cause diarrheal disease in people.  The E. coli Shiga toxin (though not the bacterium itself) can pass through the ep