Escherichia Coli

Escherichia coli

Escherichia Coli, commonly known as E. Coli is a common bacteria found in the intestines of people and warm-blooded animals. Though it is mostly a beneficial bacteria due to its role as microflora, it also has strains which can be harmful to animals and cause various symptoms ranging from diarrhea to pneumonia.

E.coli was discovered in 1885 by German pediatrician and university professor, Theodor Escherian. Escherian was examining a human colon when he discovered the bacteria. Escherian also discovered that some strains of the bacteria could cause infant diarrhea and gastroenteritis, which served to be a very important public health discovery at the time. Escherian named the bacteria Bacterium coli, but the named was later …show more content…
Coli is one of the most studied free living organism, with having more than 700 serotypes of the bacteria identified. Perhaps one of the most infamous of these serotypes is O157:H. O157:H was first recognized as a pathogen in 1982 when it was discovered during an investigation on a fast food restaurant. Restaurants are very susceptible to the bacteria if any of their food is undercooked or contaminated. So unless the right conditions are met, a business can easily cause an outbreak, which in return creates ill customers and possibly deaths. For example, in 1993 a Jack In The Box in Washington was responsible for an E. coli outbreak. The outbreak left three children dead and more than 400 people ill. The cause of the outbreak were undercooked patties which were distributed by the restaurant. After the epidemic, Jack In The Box beefed up their health precautions, setting a new standard for restaurants everywhere. Despite these new precautions, E.Coli strains still pop up from time to time. Just last week a Chipotle had a contamination, and they are still unsure of exactly what caused …show more content…
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E. coli is a rod shaped bacteria (bacilli) and gram-negative. It is facultatively anaerobic, meaning it can survive with or without the presence of oxygen. It is heterotrophic and therefore feeds off of its host organism. It can use binary fission and conjugation to reproduce. As a gut flora in animals and people, it helps digest food, process waste, and can aid in the production of vitamin vitamin K2.

After one is infected by a harmful strain of E. coli, an incubation period will occur in which the symptoms of the infection are dormant while the bacteria infects the body.This period can last anywhere from one to ten days. While in the body E. coli will multiply within the body rapidly and release toxins such Shiga toxin. The toxin will leak into the circulation system, allowing it to travel throughout the body. Sudden abdominal pain is often the first symptom of an E. coli infection, and this is due to inflammation from the toxins. Symptoms such as diarrhea and fever are followed afterwards within 24 hours. On rare occasions, an E. coli infection can cause tissue death, which in return causes acute kidney failure in infants and young children. Mortality rate for E. coli is relatively low, only being 0-2% for reported outbreaks. Non-O157:H strains are usually less severe, but some can result in acute kidney failure as

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