Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and E. coli O111: Adults Beware

In a 2008 outbreak of Escherichia coli O111 illness in the U.S., most cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome involved adults.

In the U.S., infections caused by Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) most often involve serotype O157. Among STEC specimens submitted to the CDC between 1983 and 2002, the second most common non-O157 serotype was O111. An outbreak of E. coli O111 infections in Oklahoma in 2008 allowed researchers to characterize the illness, the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) attack rate, and risk factors for HUS.

Of 341 individuals with confirmed, probable, or suspected E. coli O111 illness during the outbreak, 72 (21%) required hospitalization and 1 of them — an adult — died. Among those hospitalized, 52 (72%) were aged ≥18 (median age, 56.5; range, 1–88).

Twenty-six (36%) of the hospitalized patients developed HUS, for an overall attack rate of…

Reviewing Author

Larry M. Baddour, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc. (Authorship duties)

Larry M. Baddour, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc. (Authorship duties)