Daycare STEC Outbreak Study

Study Summary

In the fall of 2023, several daycares in Calgary experienced a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak. This bacterial infection is most common in children and can lead to potentially severe outcomes. In addition to causing severe diarrhea and abdominal pains, the major consequential effect of this infection occurs in the kidney.  However, additional severe acute effects can be seen in essentially any organ system, and some of these lead to life-threatening acute complications and long-term disabilities. Unfortunately, few studies have followed large numbers of children with varying severities of acute infection over prolonged periods of time and as such, long-term prognosis cannot be predicted with accuracy. As such this study aims to clarify the long-term consequences associated with infection across a range of severity in terms of the acute infection.

Objectives

1. Evaluate if renal outcomes 1 to 2 years post-infection are less favorable in infected children compared to controls, and if the degree of renal impairment is proportional to the severity of the acute infection. 
2. Evaluate if gut function 1 to 2 years post-infection is less favorable in infected children compared to controls, and if the degree of gut dysfunction is proportional to the severity of the acute infection.
3. Evaluate if ponderal growth and stature 1 to 2 years post-infection is impaired in infected children compared to controls, and if the degree of impairment is proportional to the severity of the acute infection.
4. Evaluate if cardiometabolic health parameters 1 to 2 years post-infection are less favorable in infected children compared to controls, and if the degree of cardiometabolic dysfunction is proportional to the severity of the acute infection.

Principal Study Investigators: Dr. Stephen Freedman

Research Coordinator: Kate Winston

Study Team: Dr. Phillip Tarr, Dr. Silviu Grisaru, Dr. Otto Vanderkooi, Dr. Mohamed Eltorki, Dr. Francesco Rizzuti