E. coli Infection 

E. coli is bacteria that normally lives in your intestines but is also is found in the gut of some animals. Most types of E. coli are harmless but some can cause dangerous symptoms if you eat contaminated food or water.

You can become infected with E. coli by ingesting a small amount of the bacteria.

It can come from meat that is not cooked enough to kill bacteria, unpasteurized milk, fruits and vegetables that are washed with tainted water or grown with infected manure, swallowing water that contains E. coli while swimming in a pool, lake or pond, not washing your hands after coming into contact with someone who has E. coli and touching your mouth. You can also contaminate your food by having your cooking utensils/items that have touched uncooked meat, like chicken, to come into contact with food that will be eaten raw.

Some symptoms include:

-Abdominal cramps

-Diarrhea that may be bloody

-Nausea

-Constant Fatigue

-Fever

-Confusion

-Seizures

-Adult kidney failure

Healthy people who are infected with E. coli usually feel better in a week or so. But some people develop a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which affects the kidneys. This complication is more likely to affect older people and children.

The only way for a doctor to diagnose E. coli is to take a sample of stool. The infection will usually go away on its own but antibiotics can be taken to shorten the length of time that you have symptoms and might be used for moderate to severe cases. Do not take antibiotics if your doctor suspects that you have Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, it will increase the production of Shiga toxin and make your symptoms worse. Taking over the counter medications to help diarrhea is not recommended because it will slow the body’s shedding of the infection.

One of the most important things to do to prevent contracting the E. coli bacteria is to wash your hands at these specific times:

-After handing raw meat

-After using the washroom or changing a diaper

-After contact with animals, even your own pets

-Before you prepare food

-Before touching anything that would go into someone’s mouth especially a child

-Before preparing bottles or food for children