Purpose of review
Colonization of the host epithelia by pathogenic Escherichia coli is influenced by the ability of the bacteria to interact with host surfaces. Because the initial step of an E. coli infection is to adhere, invade, and persist within host cells, some strategies used by intestinal and extra-intestinal E. coli to infect host cell are presented.
Recent findings
This review highlights recent progress understanding how extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli strains express specific adhesins/invasins that allow colonization of the urinary tract or the meninges, while intestinal E. coli strains are able to colonize different regions of the intestinal tract using other specialized adhesins/invasins. Finally, evaluation of, different diets and environmental conditions regulating the colonization of these pathogens is discussed.
Summary
Discovery of new interactions between pathogenic E. coli and the host epithelial cells unravels the need of more mechanistic studies that can provide new clues in how to combat these infections.