Scientists take important step forward in developing new treatment for E.Coli infections
Published: 1 April 2025
Scientists have taken an important step toward the development of a potential new treatment for treating Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), the notorious bug associated with severe food poisoning
Scientists have taken an important step toward the development of a potential new treatment for treating Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), the notorious bug associated with severe food poisoning.
The findings – led by the University of Glasgow and published in Antimicrobials and Resistance – demonstrate, for the first time, the use of an antivirulence drug called Aurodox, a potential alternative to traditional antibiotic treatment, to be an effective treatment when used in mice models of STEC.
The STEC strain of E coli, often transmitted by eating contaminated food or undercooked meat, produces toxins that can make people very ill, with bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever, with symptoms lasting up to 14 days.
STEC infections are a significant threat to public health, with an estimated 2.8 million cases globally per year, with modern food supply infrastructure and climate change increasing the incidence of large, multinational outbreaks.
Scotland currently has one of the highest global incidences of STEC infections –three times higher than the rest of the UK – and treatment options remain limited and difficult, as antibiotics can make the disease worse by releasing a potent toxin into the infected person’s gut and disrupting beneficial gut bacteria.
Children in Scotland account for almost half of all cases of STEC, with some people mainly children, at risk of developing haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a potentially-fatal clinical syndrome that can lead to acute kidney failure. Adults may also develop a similar condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).
The study also assessed the effect of Aurodox on the gut microbiome. Given there is currently no antibiotic treatment for STEC, proving the efficacy of Aurodox in mice marks a significant milestone, with the results suggesting that Aurodox may influence the gut microbiome in a beneficial way, unlike traditional antibiotics, making it a promising alternative for treating STEC without major disruptions to gut bacteria.
The new findings build on the researchers’ study from 2018 which found that Aurodox, a compound first discovered in 1973 but found to be poorly active as a true antibiotic, was able to successfully block E. coli O157 infections, one of the most serious strains of the bug; and, unlike traditional antibiotics, did not cause the release of potent toxins.
Professor Andrew Roe, Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Glasgow and lead author of the study, said: “Our findings in mice models are a huge step forward in the development of a new treatment for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), which is a potentially fatal bacteria bug that is difficult to treat. Our results are very encouraging and suggest that Aurodox could be used as a promising anti-virulence therapy for the treatment of these infections.
“The next steps will be to test the broader applications of Aurodox on more pathogens that use the same colonisation system and to work with pharmaceutical companies to test this as a treatment in patients. It’s still a long journey but this is such an important milestone.”
The paper, ‘Evaluating the Protective Effects of Aurodox in a Murine Model of Shiga Toxin-1 Producing Escherichia coli,.’ is published in Antimicrobials and Resistance. The work was funded by the Medical Research Council, an Eleanor Emery PhD Scholarship, the Leverhulme Trust, the European Innovation Council and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 1 April 2025