by assessing the mechanisms used by the organism to cause specific conditions and the specific body systems that are affected.
One of the more common groups of E. coli is the Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). These bacteria are able to attach to the cells of the jejunum and ileum by means of fimbrae and once attached, release one of two enterotoxins that eventually lead to voluminous watery diarrhea (NIH, 1985). The heat stable toxin (ST) is a very small molecule and as its name suggests, it is able to resist heat. In fact the ST can withstand boiling for up to 30 minutes while the heat-labile toxin (LT) is destroyed by such treatment. This weakness in the LT has been shown to be due to its large molecular size (Prescott, 1993).
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