E. coli O157 cases stable; non-O157 infections rise in England

The number of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 infections remained steady but non-O157 cases increased in England in 2021 according to recently released data.Overall, 1,151 confirmed cases of STEC were reported in England during 2021. This included 365 cases of STEC O157 and 786 cases where non-O157 was isolated. For another 443 patients, samples were confirmed as STEC by testing positive by PCR for Shiga toxin genes, but E. coli was not cultured.