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. 1999 Apr 15;173(2):291-5.
doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1999.tb13516.x.

Survival of Escherichia coli O157 in a soil protozoan: implications for disease

J Barker  1 , T J Humphrey, M W Brown
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Survival of Escherichia coli O157 in a soil protozoan: implications for disease

J Barker et al. FEMS Microbiol Lett. .

Abstract

Intra-protozoal growth of bacterial pathogens has been associated with increased environmental survival, virulence and resistance to biocides and antibiotics. Using laboratory microcosms we have shown that Escherichia coli O157 survives and replicates in a common environmental protozoan, Acanthamoeba polyphaga. As protozoa are widely distributed in soils and effluents, they may constitute an important environmental reservoir for transmission of E. coli O157 and other pathogens.

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