Identification of the Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 Strain Responsible for a Food Poisoning Outbreak in Germany by PCR

An outbreak caused by Escherichia coli serotype O104:H4 strains has been affecting northern Germany since May 2011, with 3,222 patients infected and 39 of them dead by 18 June ([4][1]). Around 25% of the patients developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) ([1][2], [3][3]), a rate which is much higher