ECOR

The Escherichia coli Reference Collection 
 

The Escherichia coli Reference Collection was established in 1984 by Howard Ochman and Robert K. Selander (J. Bacteriol. 157:690-693).  [Download pdf].

The O:H serotypes were determined in 1985 by The E. coli Reference Center at Penn State under the direction of Richard A. Wilson.

The ECOR pages are maintained by Thomas S. Whittam.  Website last updated March 21, 2003.

Enzyme polymorphisms and electrophoretic types

ECOR Literature

Obtain Strains

 
Isolate
Group
O
H
 Host Locale, year of isolation Clinical Original
ECOR-01 A ON HN human (Female, 19yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM74A
ECOR-02 A ON H32 human (Male) USA (N.Y.), 1979 healthy STM1
ECOR-03 A O1 NM dog USA (Mass.) healthy W1R1(a)
ECOR-04 A ON HN human (Female, 5yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM39A
ECOR-05 A O79 NM human (Female, 56yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM60A
ECOR-06 A ON NM human (Male, 8yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM66C
ECOR-07 A O85 HN orangutan USA (Wash.)* healthy RM73C
ECOR-08 A O86 NM human (Female, 20yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM77C
ECOR-09 A ON NM human (Female) Sweden healthy FN98
ECOR-10 A O6 H10 human (Female) Sweden healthy ANI
ECOR-11 A O6 H10 human (Female) Sweden UTI(C) C97
ECOR-12 A O7 H32 human (Female) Sweden healthy FN59
ECOR-13 A ON HN human (Female) Sweden healthy FN10
ECOR-14 A OM HN human (Female) Sweden UTI(P) P62
ECOR-15 A O25 NM human (Female) Sweden healthy FN3
ECOR-16 A ON H10 leopard USA (Wash.)* healthy RM191F
ECOR-17 A O106 NM pig Indonesia healthy RM200Q
ECOR-18 A O5 NM Celebese ape USA (Wash.)* healthy RM210F
ECOR-19 A O5 HN Celebese ape USA (Wash.)* healthy RM210J
ECOR-20 A O89 HN steer Bali healthy RM213I
ECOR-21 A O121 HN steer Bali healthy RM213K
ECOR-22 A ON HN steer Bali healthy RM215C
ECOR-23 A O86 H43 elephant USA (Wash.)* healthy RM183E
ECOR-24 A O15 NM human (Female) Sweden healthy FN33
ECOR-25 A ON HN dog USA (N.Y.) healthy MS1
ECOR-26 B1 O104 H21 infant USA (Mass.) healthy LL
ECOR-27 B1 O104 NM giraffe USA (Wash.)* healthy RM24J
ECOR-28 B1 O104 NM human (Female, 4yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM52B
ECOR-29 B1 O150 H21 kangaroo rat USA (Nev.) healthy RM3A
ECOR-30 B1 O113 H21 bison Canada healthy RM10A
ECOR-31 E O79 H43 leopard USA (Wash.)* healthy RM12
ECOR-32 B1 O7 H21 giraffe USA (Wash.)* healthy RM28
ECOR-33 B1 O7 H21 sheep USA (Calif.) healthy RM56C
ECOR-34 B1 O88 NM dog USA (Mass.) healthy WIR2(a)
ECOR-35 D O1 NM human (Female, 36yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM42B
ECOR-36 D O79 H25 human (Female, 20yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM77B
ECOR-37 E ON HN marmoset USA (Wash.)* healthy RM44B
ECOR-38 D O7 NM human (Female, 21yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM75A
ECOR-39 D O7 NM human Sweden healthy FN104
ECOR-40 D O7 NM human Sweden UTI(P) P60
ECOR-41 D O7 NM human (Female, 22yr) Tonga, 1982 healthy T44
ECOR-42 E ON H26 human (Male) USA (Mass.), 1979 healthy DAR1
ECOR-43 E ON HN human (Female) Sweden healthy FN36
ECOR-44 D ON HN cougar USA (Wash.)* healthy RM189I
ECOR-45 B1 ON HM pig Indonesia healthy RM201C
ECOR-46 D O1 H6 ape USA (Wash.)* healthy RM202F
ECOR-47 D OM H18 sheep New Guinea healthy RM211C
ECOR-48 D ON HM human (Female) Sweden UTI(C) C90
ECOR-49 D O2 NM human (Female) Sweden healthy FN90
ECOR-50 D O2 HN human (Female) Sweden UTI(P) P97
ECOR-51 B2 O25 HN infant USA (Mass.) healthy DD
ECOR-52 B2 O25 H1 orangutan USA (Wash.)* healthy RM73A
ECOR-53 B2 O4 HN human (Female, 4yr) USA (Iowa) healthy RM33B
ECOR-54 B2 O25 H1 human USA (Iowa) healthy RM64A
ECOR-55 B2 O25 H1 human (Female) Sweden UTI(P) FN4
ECOR-56 B2 O6 H1 human (Female) Sweden healthy P106
ECOR-57 B2 ON NM gorilla USA (Wash.)* healthy RM71B
ECOR-58 B1 O112 H8 lion USA (Wash.)* healthy RM185S
ECOR-59 B2 O4 H40 human (Male) USA (Mass.), 1979 healthy SIL8
ECOR-60 B2 O4 HN human (Female) Sweden UTI(C) C89
ECOR-61 B2 O2 NM human (Female) Sweden healthy FN83
ECOR-62 B2 O2 NM human (Female) Sweden UTI(P) P69
ECOR-63 B2 ON NM human (Female) Sweden healthy FN21
ECOR-64 B2 O75 NM human (Female) Sweden UTI(C) C70
ECOR-65 B2 ON H10 Celebese ape USA (Wash.)* healthy RM202I
ECOR-66 B1 O4 H40 Celebese ape USA (Wash.)* healthy RM209I
ECOR-67 B1 O4 H43 goat Indonesia healthy RM217T
ECOR-68 B1 ON NM giraffe USA (Wash.)* healthy RM224H
ECOR-69 B1 ON NM Celebese ape USA (Wash.)* healthy RM45EM
ECOR-70 B1 O78 NM gorilla USA (Wash.)* healthy RM70B
ECOR-71 B1 O78 NM human Sweden (Female) ABU ABU84
ECOR-72 B1 O144 H8 human Sweden (Female) UTI(P) P68
 
Abbreviations: ON,HN= non-typeable with standard antisera; NM=non-motile strain; * indicates isolate from zoo animal; ABU = asymptomatic bacteriuria;UTI = symptomatic urinary tract infection, (C=acute cystitis), (P=acute pyelonephritis).

Original strains: RM strains were originally collected by Prof. Roger Milkman, then of the University of Iowa. Each RM number stands for a given host; the letters distinguish E. coli isolates. Thus 77C and 77B were different isolates from the same host, and they belong to very different MLEE groups.

Dr. Milkman writes that "The RM strains from humans were all isolated at the State Hygienic Laboratory of Iowa, now the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, from healthy humans residing in various places in Iowa. They were characterized, as were all 829 "RM" strains, by Patricia Marvin Hammond, a clinical microbiologist who kindly offered to do it."

Milkman's 1973 study of the 829 RM strains was the first to quantify natural genetic varation in E. coli using methods from population genetics. It was published in the pre-ECOR era in Science [Download pdf].

Dr. Milkman can be contacted at rmilkman@mbl.edu