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Can My Cheeseburger Harm Me? Using Computers to Study the Genomics of E. coli.
13 Jul 2023
Yes
- Briana Doherty

 

 

E. coli are generally benign inhabitants of our gut but occasionally we are exposed to more toxic variants such as Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli, notorious foodborne pathogens that are considered to be a public health risk.

No

​​​​E. coli Image Credit: NIAID. Licensed under creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en​​​​​​​​​​

 

​​The most common form of this pathogen is Shigatoxigenic E. coli (STEC) serotype O157:H7. In 2019 there were 539 confirmed cases of food poisoning caused by STEC O157 in England and Wales, with nearly one-third of those in England being hospitalised. However, an increasing number of infections are now caused by non-O157 STEC, causing uncertainty about the disease and the methods of controlling it. 

This work will help identify different and emerging strains of STEC, predict the likelihood and severity of the disease, and, ultimately, prevent it from spreading. 

You can read the full case study here: Can my cheeseburger harm me PDF Online Version.pdf 

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Contact: Choudhury-Gibbons, Dascha (STFC,RAL,SC)

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