What is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and potential complication?

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Multiple Choice

What is a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and potential complication?

Shiga toxin–producing E. coli are pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli that make Shiga toxin, most famously the O157:H7 serotype. These infections can cause severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea that may become bloody (hemorrhagic colitis). A major and potentially life‑threatening complication is hemolytic uremic syndrome, in which Shiga toxin damages small blood vessels, leading to destruction of red blood cells, low platelets, and acute kidney injury. The description fits best because it captures both the toxin-mediated mechanism and the serious kidney-related complication. The other ideas don’t fit: this isn’t a beneficial gut bacterium, it isn’t defined by lactose metabolism or lactose intolerance, and malaria is caused by a parasite, not E. coli.

Shiga toxin–producing E. coli are pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli that make Shiga toxin, most famously the O157:H7 serotype. These infections can cause severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea that may become bloody (hemorrhagic colitis). A major and potentially life‑threatening complication is hemolytic uremic syndrome, in which Shiga toxin damages small blood vessels, leading to destruction of red blood cells, low platelets, and acute kidney injury. The description fits best because it captures both the toxin-mediated mechanism and the serious kidney-related complication. The other ideas don’t fit: this isn’t a beneficial gut bacterium, it isn’t defined by lactose metabolism or lactose intolerance, and malaria is caused by a parasite, not E. coli.

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