How E-Coli Grabs Intestinal Cells.

A team of molecular biologists and x-ray crystallographers at the University of British Columbia has produced the first detailed picture showing an E. coli bacterial adhesin attaching to its receptor on intestinal cells. The structure may reveal critical steps in E. coli attachment that may be subject to therapeutic intervention.

The E. coli bacteria included the enteropathogenic strains that are a major cause of childhood diarrhea in developing countries, killing close to 1 million children each year due to dehydration and other complications. This family of pathogens also includes E. coli O157:H7, a closely related strain that contaminates hamburger and other foods. …