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Review
. 2004 Nov;2(11):898-907.
doi: 10.1038/nrmicro1021.

Escherichia coli acid resistance: tales of an amateur acidophile

John W Foster  1
Affiliations
Review

Escherichia coli acid resistance: tales of an amateur acidophile

John W Foster. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2004 Nov.

Abstract

Gastrointestinal pathogens are faced with an extremely acidic environment. Within moments, a pathogen such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 can move from the nurturing pH 7 environment of a hamburger to the harsh pH 2 milieu of the stomach. Surprisingly, certain microorganisms that grow at neutral pH have elegantly regulated systems that enable survival during excursions into acidic environments. The best-characterized acid-resistance system is found in E. coli.

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