Mapping the evolution of E. coli's main virulence factor offers a refined drug target

In a new study, published today in Nature Communications, a multi-center team led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo, Imperial College London and UCL, has mapped for the first time the evolutionary timeline and population distribution of Escherichia coli's protective outer capsule, which is responsible for the bacterium's virulence. The study also shows how targeting the bacterium's protective layer can help treat extraintestinal infections.