E. Coli Outbreak in Europe: 10 Superbug Facts About Superbugs
The outbreak that's killed 17 people and infected more than 1,500 people in Europe is “highly infectious and toxic” and carries “several antibiotic-resistant genes,” the WHO reports. The Daily Beast breaks down 10 surprising facts about superbugs.
A lab technician holds a bacteria culture that shows a positive infection of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, also known as the EHEC bacteria, from a patient at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf on Jun. 2, 2011 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo: Sean Ga
Scientists say the deadly E. Coli strain that has struck Europe contains a rare “glue” that helps it bind to people’s intestines—and may be the most toxic variety to ever hit humans.
