National Shiga toxin-producing E. coli surveillance
CDC collects national Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) surveillance data through passive surveillance of laboratory-confirmed human STEC isolates in the United States.
Clinical testing and reporting
Clinical diagnostic laboratories submit STEC O157 isolates and Shiga toxin-positive broths to state and territorial public health laboratories, where they are further characterized.
Then, state and territorial public health laboratories send reports of the STEC isolates electronically to CDC. The reports are collected into the Laboratory-based Enteric Disease Surveillance (LEDS) system.
Serotype information
Annual summaries of LEDS data are the national source of serotype information for STEC. Unusual or un-typable isolates or Shiga toxin-positive samples from which no STEC can be isolated by the state or territorial public health laboratory are forwarded to CDC's National Escherichia and Shigella Reference Laboratory; results are reported back to the referring public health laboratory.
Annual summaries of national STEC data
Searchable data tools
The BEAM (Bacteria, Enterics, Amoeba, and Mycotics) Dashboard provides timely data on pathogen trends and serotype details to inform work to prevent illnesses from food and animal contact.
FoodNet Fast provides information on STEC and selected other pathogens transmitted commonly through food, including data on rates of illness, diagnostic testing practices, and hemolytic uremic syndrome.
NORS Dashboard contains information from reports of outbreaks of foodborne, waterborne, and enteric (intestinal) diseases spread by person-to-person contact, environmental contamination, animal contact, and other means.
NARMS Now shows how antibiotic resistance has changed since 1999 for some bacteria transmitted commonly through food, including STEC O157.
Other E. coli surveillance
Some other systems at CDC conduct surveillance on E. coli infections and outbreaks in the United States.
Animal Contact Outbreak Surveillance System
Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System