NC_013941:1857724 Escherichia coli O55:H7 str. CB9615 chromosome, complete genome
Host Lineage: Escherichia coli; Escherichia; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: The E. coli O55:H7 strain CB9615 was isolated from an infant with diarrhea in Germany in 2003 and confirmed to belong to the same sequence type (ST11) as the O157:H7 clone by multilocus sequence typing. The O55:H7 and O157:H7 E. coli clones have been shown to be closely related. This organism was named for its discoverer, Theodore Escherich, and is one of the premier model organisms used in the study of bacterial genetics, physiology, and biochemistry. This enteric organism is typically present in the lower intestine of humans, where it is the dominant facultative anaerobe present, but it is only one minor constituent of the complete intestinal microflora. E. coli, is capable of causing various diseases in its host, especially when they acquire virulence traits. E. coli can cause urinary tract infections, neonatal meningitis, and many different intestinal diseases, usually by attaching to the host cell and introducing toxins that disrupt normal cellular processes.