Dietary proteins are linked to the pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) through the intestinal
tract, which is the site where both dietary proteins are metabolized and pathogenic E. coli strains play a
pathogenic role. Dietary proteins are degraded by enzymes in the intestine lumen and their metabolites
are transferred into enterocytes to be further metabolized. Seven diarrheagenic E. coli pathotypes have
been identified, and they damage the intestinal epithelium through physical injury and effector proteins,
which lead to inhibit the digestibility and absorption of dietary proteins in the intestine tract. But
the increased tryptophan (Trp) content in the feed, low-protein diet or milk fractions supplementation
is effective in preventing and controlling infections by pathogenic E. coli in the intestine.
The Tat system and its dependent cell division proteins are critical for virulence of extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli
