Colonization of lettuce roots by E. coli O104:H4 as affected by soil type and lettuce variety

Lettuce and lamb's lettuce were grown in both, alluvial loam and diluvial sand, and were contaminated with EHEC/EAEC followed by analysis regarding adherence and internalization of EHEC/EAEC into the roots of the lettuce plants. In parallel, soil microbial community was analyzed to determine the effect of the soil microbiota on adherence and internalization, and to determine the effect of lettuce variety and soil type on the microbial soil composition.