E Coli

You cannot see it, smell it, or taste it, but you could be fighting for your life depending on your age. Theodore von Escherich, a German bacteriologist, discovered the bacterium Escherichia coli in 1885. The bacterium, commonly known as E. coli, can be found in the human intestinal tract and comes in multiple forms, only of which is deadly. E. coli is only two microns in length and one micron wide. It is rod-shaped and covered with small pili for mobility (www.fightecoli.com/?lang=en&pageID=1-2).

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are members of a large group of bacterial germs that inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and other warm-blooded animals (mammals, birds). Newborns have a sterile alimentary tract, which within two days becomes colonized with E. coli. More than 700 serotypes of E. coli have been identified (www.about-ecoli.com/).

Most strains of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/e-coli/DS01007). Yet, a few strains of E. coli, such as E. Coli O157:H7 can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/e-coli/DS01007). Most healthy adults can recover from an infection with E. Coli O157:H7 within a week. However, the major risk is posed to young children and older adults as they can develop a life threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/e-coli/DS01007). Infections typically begin three to four days after exposure but can actually start as late as a week after (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/e-coli/DS01007).

The most common way to acquire an E. coli infection is by eating contaminated food such as:

• Ground beef: When cattle are slaughtered and processed, the bacteria in their intestines can get on the meat (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/e-coli/DS01007)

• Fresh produce: Water overflow from cattle farms can contaminate fields where produce is grown...