What is theEscherichia coli (E. coli)? It is the best-known species of bacterium of the genus Escherichia and is part of our gut microbiota. Most strains of E. coli are harmless, but some strains instead cause intestinal diseases of varying severity (with abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody diarrhea) and extra-intestinal, such as urinary tract infections, peritonitis, septicemia, pneumonia and meningitis.
How do you get infected
Infection with Escherichia coli, from contaminated water or food, especially from foods such as fruits and vegetables eaten raw, but also from unpasteurized milk and uncooked meat, can be more dangerous for more fragile subjects, such as young children and the elderly or patients with Rsa, who can develop a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can even be fatal. In addition to the ingestion of contaminated food, the infection can also be transmitted through person-to-person contact, especially when infected subjects do not wash their hands properly. Or by drinking contaminated water in lakes, ponds, rivers and swimming pools. Escherichia coli is sensitive to heat: cooking food therefore allows it to be neutralized.
How to prevent infection
No drug can protect against E. coli infection. Therefore, it is necessary to implement prevention behaviors, avoiding risky foods such as undercooked meat and unpasteurized milk, carefully wash raw foods, kitchen utensils with hot water and soap before and after contact with products and raw meat ( and always hands, to avoid cross contamination). Use separate containers for each food. A strain of E. coli produces a toxin that causes brief episodes of watery diarrhea, the so-called traveler’s diarrhea that affects those who consume water or food in areas where the water is contaminated and unsafe.
Antibiotics can effectively treat E. coli infections outside the digestive tract and most intestinal infections, but they are not used to treat intestinal infections caused by just one strain of these bacteria.