Some E. coli produce Shiga toxins a

Some E. coli produce Shiga toxins also called verotoxins or Verocytotoxins. These E. coli are designated Shiga toxin-producing or Verotoxin-producing E. coli (STEC or VTEC). A subgroup of VTEC,capable of causing serious disease like enterohaemorrhagic colitis
with bloody diarrhoea and possibly renal failure is designated enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).Shiga toxin is an essential virulence factor in EHEC disease, but Shiga toxin is not sufficient to cause disease by itself. The pathogenesis of EHEC disease depends on the production of Shiga toxin in combination with other virulence factors, The most common disease causing EHEC is the serotype E. coli O157:H7 is a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium. which can cause serious illness and death. Strains of this serotype have been responsible for large foodborne outbreaks involving meat, poultry, dairy products, apple juice, cider, vegetables, mayonnaise and water