Unlocking E. coli
June 4, 2011
"The decoding of the genome of the rampant E. coli pathogen is an important step towards being able to effectively treat patients with the new potentially fatal strain," said Andreas Hensel, head of Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).
Chinese scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute, the world's largest DNA sequencing center, announced that the E. coli spreading through Europe was "a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic."
German scientists had been scrambling to unlock the E. coli bacteria at the heart of the recent outbreak which originated in Germany and has since spread to 12 other countries, with the death toll at 19.
The Chinese researchers, who obtained DNA samples of the bacteria from collaborating scientists in Germany, managed to fully sequence its genome in three days - becoming the first in the world to do so and lodge its full sequence on the Internet.
A senior German doctor said on Friday that the number of new infections had decreased compared to previous days, but added that the outbreak was the most severe in decades. Nearly 2000 people have been infected in Germany alone, and the virus has been detected as far away as the United States.
BGI made headlines in 2009 for its laboratory testing of the H1N1 virus, also known as avian influenza, or bird flu. The institute also conducts research in agriculture and veterinary sciences. It mapped the genome of the endangered giant panda three years ago.
BGI, which already owns a lab in the United States, is to open its European headquarters this year in the Danish capital Copenhagen with a funding allotment of around two million euros ($2.9 million).
Author: Hao Gui / dfm
Editor: Toma Tasovac