Shiga-Toxin-Producing Strains of O104:H4 and a Strain of O157:H7, Which Can Cause Human Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, Differ in Biofilm Formation in the Presence of CO and in Their Ability to Grow in a Novel Cell Culture Medium.

One pathogen that commonly causes gastrointestinal illnesses from the consumption of contaminated food is O157:H7. In 2011 in Germany, however, there was a prominent outbreak of bloody diarrhea with a high incidence of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by an atypical, more virulent O104:H4 strain. To facilitate the identification of this lesser-known, atypical O104:H4 strain, we wanted to identify phenotypic differences between it and a strain of O157:H7 in different media and culture conditions.