EilA, a HilA-like regulator in enteroaggregative Escherichia coli.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is increasingly recognized as a diarrhoeal pathogen in developing and industrialized countries. Most EAEC virulence factors thus far described are encoded on virulence plasmid pAA, yet recent completion of the EAEC genome has suggested the presence of additional factors encoded on chromosomal islands. Previous reports have recognized the presence of a type III secretion system (T3SS), designated ETT2, at the glyU locus of prototype EAEC strain 042, along with possible T3SS effectors at the selC locus.