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Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC)
Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC)
Statutory notification
Shiga toxin producing
E. coli
(STEC) infection is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
Alert
: cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the
public health units
within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
See
notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB)
.
Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for
metropolitan residents (PDF 209KB)
or
regional residents (PDF 208KB)
.
For notification of regional residents see contact details of
public health units
.
See also description of
statutory medical notifications in Western Australia
.
Public health management
Important information
Infectious agent
: Shiga toxin producing
Escherichia coli
bacteria.
Transmission
: Faecal-oral, food-borne, water-borne and animal-person.
Incubation period
: From 1 to 10 days (usually 2 to 4 days).
Infectious period
: Most infectious while symptomatic. The infectious dose is low. The duration of excretion of the pathogen is typically ≤1 week in adults but 3 weeks in 1/3 of children. Use contact transmission- based precautions for hospitalised and institutionalised patients.
Case exclusion
: Until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 24 hours. If patient works in health-care, aged-care, child-care or is a food handler or attends child-care, exclude until clearance specimens have been completed. See
OD 0645/16 Guidelines for exclusion of people with enteric infections and their contacts from work, school and child-care settings (external site)
.
Contact exclusion
: Do not exclude.
Treatment
: Oral rehydration and appropriate treatment as recommended by doctor and clinical microbiologist.
Immunisation
: None available.
Case follow-up
: Cases followed up the Communicable Disease Control Directorate with assistance from the
public health units (Healthy WA)
.
Guidelines
OD 0490/14 Public Health Follow-up of Sporadic Enteric Disease Notifications (external site)
OD 0645/16 Guidelines for exclusion of people with enteric infections and their contacts from work, school and child-care settings (external site)
Communicable Disease Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners
Notifiable disease data and reports
Up-to-date STEC notification data
General infectious disease reports
Produced by
Public Health
Related links
Shiga toxin producing E.coli (STEC) and haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) (Healthy WA)