E coli infection
Many cases of bacillary dysentery in industrialized regions are a result of person-to-person transmission. Widespread epidemics have occurred in military or civilian populations and among persons who have ingested contaminated food or water on cruise ships. Water and food appear to be particularly important vectors ofShigella transmission in developing countries, where they may be the most important sources of infection.56,57 Epidemics of waterborne shigellosis generally appear to be the result of wells contaminated with fecal material. Felson58 found that dysentery strains could be recovered for up to 6 months from water samples maintained at room temperature. Wells are often located close to cesspools and outhouses in developing countries, where sanitation principles are not followed. In other areas, septic tank discharge may empty into lakes, ponds, or other bodies of water close to intake lines for camp water supplies or adjacent to bathing beaches. Chlorination of water, if appropriately maintained, will remove the threat of such infections. In the United States, foodborne59 and waterborne60 outbreaks of shigellosis occur occasionally and represent 7% of reported cases.47
An epidemiologic observation has been made that when water sanitation improvements are implemented in a community, the incidence of typhoid fever falls but the prevalence of bacillary dysentery remains unchanged.58S. sonnei, the most common species in Western countries, appears to have descended from a common ancestor (monophyletic) existing hundreds of years ago that diversified into distinct lineages in Europe, followed by worldwide dissemination.61
Hand transmission is likely to be a common means of acquiring infection. At a custodial institution, intellectually disabled persons were studied for the prevalence of hand transmission of bacteria.41 Finger and simultaneous fecal cultures were obtained from 268 institutionalized patients. AShigella strain was isolated from the stool of 39 person
Complications
Most people make a full recovery within a week.
However, around 10 percent of people are at Source of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). These are mostly young children and older people.
HUS is characterized by hemolysis, or a breakup of red blood cells. This can cause anemia, a low platelet count, and kidney failure.
Platelets, the blood cells responsible for blood clotting, clump together within the small blood vessels of the kidneys, resulting in reduced blood flow, or ischemia.
This can eventually lead to kidney failure. Decreased platelets increase the risk of bleeding problems.
Patients with these clots can also develop central nervous system (CNS) problems that affect the brain and spinal cord.
This can lead to seizures, paralysis, brain swelling, and coma. It is fatal in 3 to 5 percent of cases.
Acute kidney failure among infants and young children is usually caused by HUS.
HUS usually starts about 5 to 8 days after the onset of diarrhea. It is a medical emergency, and requires hospital treatment.
Diagnosis
Drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration is crucial during an E. coli infection.
The doctor will identify the signs, ask about symptoms, and send a stool sample to a lab for analysis.
The sample must be taken within 48 hours after the bloody diarrhea starts.
Prevention
Some tips can help prevent infection with E. Coli and other pathogens.
These include:
cooking meat well, especially ground meat
drinking pasteurized milk, apple juice, and cider, rather than unpasteurized
washing vegetables, especially leafy green ones
ensuring that cutlery and crockery are thoroughly washed with warm, soapy water
storing meat and non-meat foods separately, and using separate cutting boards
following good hand-hygiene practices
Good hand hygiene involves washing hands thoroughly with warm water and soap regularly, and especially after using the bathroom, after changing diapers, before and after preparing foods, and after touching animals
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium commonly found in the gut of warm-blooded organisms.
Most strains of E. coli are not harmful but are part of the healthful bacterial flora in the human gut. However, some types can cause illness in humans, including diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and sometimes vomiting.
E. coli O157:H7 is one of the strains, and produces Trusted Source a toxin known as Shiga. It is one of the most powerful Trusted Source toxins, and it can cause an intestinal infection.
Some 265,000 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections occur each year in the United States (U.S.). Around 36 percent Trusted Source of these are probably caused by E. coli O157:H7. When a foodborne outbreak occurs, it usually involves Trusted Source a shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Most people recover within 6 to 8 days, but it can be life-threatening in infants and people with a weakened immune system.
Some other types of E. coli infection can lead to urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses like meningitis.
Fast facts on E. coli
E. coli refers to a wide range of bacteria that can cause various diseases, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and diarrhea.
Most strains of E. coli are harmless to humans.
Some strains of E. coli infection can include nausea, vomiting, and fever.
In susceptible individuals, certain types of E. coli infection can lead to kidney failure
Following hygiene rules helps prevent its spread
Symptoms
E. coli infects the intestine and causes symptoms that range from non-presenting to severe.
Symptoms of infection with E. coli 0157 typically appear 3 to 4 days after being exposed to the bacteria. However, symptoms may appear as early as 24 hours or as late as 1 week later.
These can include:
abdominal pain or severe abdominal cramping, often starting suddenly
watery diarrhea, beginning a few hours after the pain begins
bright red bloody stools around a day later, resulting from the toxin’s damage to
The study researchers found that placing a small, detoxified amount of E. coli in the guts of mice led to an increase in levels of leptin – known as the “satiety hormone.”
Within 7 days of the increase, the number of sweet taste receptors on the rodents’ tongues reduced, diminishing their appetite for sweet foods.
Study co-author Dr. Lynette Mc Cluskey, of the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and colleagues believe their findings may one day offer a new approach to combat the obesity epidemic, which is largely driven by sugary food intake.
The researchers are due to present their findings at the Association for Chemoreception Sciences Annual Meeting in Bonita Springs, FL.
LPS reduced sweet tastes but left other tastes intact
For their study, colleagues focused on a specific part of E. coli bacteria, known as lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
LPS forms a part of the outer membrane of almost all gram-negative bacteria, and it is known for inducing strong immune responses in animals and humans. A detoxified version of LPS from E. coli and other bacteria found in the human gut is often used in vaccines in order to strengthen immune system response.
But notes there is much more to LPS when it comes to its role in the gut, as she and her colleagues found out with their new study.
When the researchers analyzed mice that ingested a small dose of LPS from E. coli, they found that within 15 days, it led to a rise in the hormone leptin, which is known to reduce appetite and lower cravings for sweet foods.
Within a week of the increase in leptin, the researchers identified a reduction in the number of sweet taste receptors on the tongues of the rodents. What is more, the mice did not demonstrate a longing for sweet foods, though their yearning for salty foods and other tastes was untouched.
The dampened cravings for sweet treats, however, faded after 7 days.
But what drives the association between LPS
LPS reduces sweet cravings through leptin, TLR4 receptors
The team notes that leptin, which is made by fat cells, is found in both the gut and the brain, and previous studies have shown that the hormone travels to the taste buds, binding with receptors and curbing the taste for sweets.
In their study, the researchers further reaffirmed the role leptin plays in the association between gut and taste; on giving LPS to mice that had their leptin receptor blocked, they identified an increase in cravings for sweet foods.
Fast facts about taste
We are born with around 10,000 taste buds, though some people will start to lose taste buds after the age of 50
Taste buds are situated on the tongue, roof of the mouth and lining of the throat
Up 15% of adults have problems with their ability to taste or smell.
Additionally, the team found that directly exposing the taste buds of mice to LPS had no impact on taste; LPS had to be ingested in order to influence sweet cravings.
Furthermore, they suggest that LPS targets toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) – a receptor present on the surface of gut cells, taste cells and immune cells – to dampen sweet receptor genes in taste buds, reducing sweet cravings.
When LPS was given to mice that lacked TLR4, the rodents showed no decrease in their appetite for sweet foods.
While this research has shed some light on how gut bacteria may influence taste, the researchers say there is much more to learn. For example, they want to find out whether LPS directly targets leptin, as well as uncover exactly what drives the increase in this hormone.
“There may be other gut hormones involved as well, but we know that leptin works,”
They also want to find out why it takes a week in order for leptin to trigger a reduction in sweet cravings, as well as why the effect appears to diminish within a week.
The team also plans to investigate the effect of a small dose of LPS daily on sweet taste, as well as monitor the effect of selectively blocking TLR4, in order
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne disease.
Primary sources of STEC outbreaks are raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and faecal contamination of vegetables.
In most cases, the illness is self-limiting, but it may lead to a life-threatening disease including haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), especially in young children and the elderly.
STEC is heat-sensitive. In preparing food at home, be sure to follow basic food hygiene practices such as "cook thoroughly".
Following the WHO “Five keys to safer food” is a key measure to prevent infections with foodborne pathogens such as STEC.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless. Some strains however, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), can cause severe foodborne disease. It is transmitted to humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated raw vegetables and sprouts.
STEC produces toxins, known as Shiga-toxins because of their similarity to the toxins produced by Shigella dysenteriae. STEC can grow in temperatures ranging from 7 °C to 50 °C, with an optimum temperature of 37 °C. Some STEC can grow in acidic foods, down to a pH of 4.4, and in foods with a minimum water activity (aW) of 0.95.
STEC is destroyed by thorough cooking of foods until all parts reach a temperature of 70 °C or higher. E. coli O157:H7 is the most important STEC serotype in relation to public health; however, other serotypes have frequently been involved in sporadic cases and outbreaks.
Symptoms
Symptoms of the diseases caused by STEC include abdominal cramps and diarrhoea that may in some cases progress to bloody diarrhoea (haemorrhagic colitis). Fever and vomiting may also occur. The incubation period can range from 3 to 8 days, with a median of 3 to 4 days. Most patients recover within 10 days, but in a small proportion of patients (particularly young children and the elderly), the infection may lead to a life-threatening disease, such as haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). HUS is characterized by acute renal failure, haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia (low blood platelets).
It is estimated that up to 10% of patients with STEC infection may develop HUS, with a case-fatality rate ranging from 3 to 5%. Overall, HUS is the most common cause of acute renal failure in young children. It can cause neurological complications (such as seizure, stroke and coma) in 25% of HUS patients and chronic renal sequelae, usually mild,
What is E. coli?
Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are found in the intestines of humans and animals. There are many different types, some are harmless and others can cause a variety of diseases.
The bacterium is found in faeces and can survive in the environment.
E. coli bacteria can cause a range of infections including urinary tract infection, cystitis (infection of the bladder), and intestinal infection.
E. coli bacteraemia (blood stream infection) may be caused by primary infections spreading to the blood.
E. coli generalized condition
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne disease.
Primary sources of STEC outbreaks are raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and faecal contamination of vegetables.
In most cases, the illness is self-limiting, but it may lead to a life-threatening disease including haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), especially in young children and the elderly.
STEC is heat-sensitive. In preparing food at home, be sure to follow basic food hygiene practices such as "cook thoroughly".
Following the WHO “Five keys to safer food” is a key measure to prevent infections with foodborne pathogens such as STEC.
Enteroinvasie E coli
The main points of the 4 categories of E.Coli. Included are enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic, entero invasive, and enterotoxigenic.
Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC) is an intestinal pathogen causing enteritis, with a similar pathogenic mechanism to that of Shigella, which causes an epithelial invasion of the large bowel leading to inflammation and ulceration of the mucosa. The patients often develop the symptoms of bacillary dysentery. The EIEC strains are atypical in their biochemical reactions and may ferment lactose late or not at all, are lysine decarboxilase negative, and non motile. In addition, most EIEC strains express somatic antigens which are either strongly related or identical to Shigella antigens. EIEC invasion is mediated by a large plasmid (140 MDa) coding for the production of several outer membrane proteins involved in invasiveness. These strains have been isolated with some regularity in South America, the Extreme Orient, and Eastern Europe. In Spain the incidence of enteroinvasive E. coli is extraordinarily low (0.2%), the serogroup O124 being the most frequently isolated. EIEC enteritis has been associated to sporadic cases occurring in travellers. Occasional outbreaks related to ingestion of contaminated water or food and person to person have been reported
Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of people and animals. Most E. coli are harmless and actually are an important part of a healthy human intestinal tract. However, some E. coli are pathogenic, meaning they can cause illness, either diarrhea or illness outside of the intestinal tract. The types of E. coli that can cause diarrhea can be transmitted through contaminated water or food, or through contact with animals or persons.
E. coli consists of a diverse group of bacteria. Pathogenic E. coli strains are categorized into pathotypes. Six pathotypes are associated with diarrhea and collectively are referred to as diarrheagenic E. coli.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a large group of bacteria found in the environment and the intestines of people and animals. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless and some are an important part of a healthy intestinal tract, others can cause severe illnesses. Some strains can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other conditions.
Some types of E. coli are used as markers for water contamination—so one might hear about E. coli being found in drinking water or in a flooded property, which depending on the type might not be harmful, but indicates contamination.
The pathogenic strains of E. coli, meaning they can cause illness, are categorized into pathotypes. Six pathotypes are associated with diarrhea and collectively are referred to as diarrheagenic E. coli. They include the following:
• Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) – STEC may also be referred to as Verocytotoxin- producing E. coli (VTEC) or enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)
• Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC)
• Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)
• Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)
• Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)
• Diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC)
Types of E. coli that can cause diarrhea may be transmitted through contaminated water or food, or through contact with infected animal
Symptoms
Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection vary for each person, but often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. Some people may have a fever, which usually is not very high (less than 101˚F/38.5˚C). Most people get better within 5 to 7 days. Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening.
Most people with a STEC infection start feeling sick 3 to 4 days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria. However, illnesses can start anywhere from 1 to 10 days after exposure. Contact your healthcare provider if you have diarrhea that lasts for more than 3 days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102˚F, bloody diarrhea, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and you pass very little urine.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
About 5 to 10% of people who are diagnosed with STEC infection develop a potentially life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS develops about 7 days after symptoms first appear, when diarrhea is improving. Clues that someone is developing HUS include decreased frequency of urination, feeling very tired, and losing pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids. People with HUS should be hospitalized because their kidneys may stop working and they may develop other serious problems. Most people with HUS recover within a few weeks, but some suffer permanent damage or die.
