Purpose and audience

Aims

This guidance aims to:

• Reduce morbidity and mortality from Shiga toxin-producing Eschericia coli (STEC) infections in children and adults by promoting early recognition and appropriate clinical management of suspected or confirmed cases.
• Help prevent STEC infections by addressing primary source exposure, environmental contamination, and person-to-person transmission as outlined in the guidance for Public health management of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections.

Objectives

To provide primary and acute care clinicians with guidance on assessing and managing suspected or confirmed STEC infection in children and adults, including:

• Initial assessment and management of patients presenting with diarrhoea where STEC infection is suspected or confirmed.
• Initial assessment and management of patients with suspected or confirmed STEC-associated haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
• Circumstances requiring urgent specialist consultation.
• Infection prevention and control measures and the requirement to notify local public health teams (as outlined in the guidance for Public health management of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections.

Audience

The guidance will be of interest to:

• primary care teams
• emergency departments
• paediatric medicine departments
• physicians in infectious diseases, nephrology and gastroenterology
• microbiologists
• public health teams.