Comment on “Shiga-Toxin Producing Escherichia coli in Brazil: A Systematic Review. Microorganisms 2019, 7, 137”

Abstract

A recent article by Castro et al. describes a systematic review of Shiga-toxin producing<i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) in Brazil. [...]

Special Issue: Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli

“…Many questions remain about STEC virulence factors, pathogenesis, detection, and other aspects that necessitate a continuation of basic and applied research on a wide front. This Special Issue includes 14 papers (nine articles, two communications, one review, one comment, and one reply) that collectively provide novel information on the epidemiology [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], virulence factors [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], and pathogenesis [ 11 , 12 , 13 ] of STEC, and the molecular structure or toxicity [ 14 , 15 , 16 ] and immunodetection [ 17 ] of Shiga toxin.…”

“…A systematic review of STEC in Brazil found no data for 44% of the Brazilian states, highlighting the need for expansion of epidemiological monitoring to the entire country and alignment of food safety standards with that of international bodies [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Although STEC O111:H8 remains the leading serotype in Brazil, a diversity of other serotypes, some carrying virulence genes and belonging to specific sequence types, were isolated from human patients with bloody diarrhea and HUS, indicating the need for further studies to determine whether they have epidemiological relevance [ 7 ].…”