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Infection with Escherichia coli most often leads to food poisoning. However, in some people E. coli (coli bacteria) can lead to serious infections - meningitis and even sepsis, which is fatal in half of the cases. What other he alth effects of E. coli poisoning may be?
Escherichia coli( E. Coli , EHEC bacteria) i.e.colon , because this is its medical name, it isgram negative bacterium , belonging to the familyEnterbacteriaceae . This term covers about 200 different bacteria belonging to the same species. It is a very popular bacterium, it is part of the physiological bacterial flora of the large intestine of humans and warm-blooded animals. And there it feels in its place, not hurting the body, on the contrary - in the intestine it performs many useful functions: it participates in the breakdown of food, contributes to the production of B and K vitamins.
E.coli , so useful in the large intestine, turns out to be very dangerous in other parts of the body. And under certain favorable circumstances, it can move very quickly.
E. coli - symptoms of infection
The effects of bacterial contaminationE. colidepend on the typestrain ,the amount of bacteria consumedandimmune systemsick. However, this type of bacteria is especially dangerous for children, the elderly and people with reduced immunity.
UsuallyE. colionly causes food poisoning, which causes symptoms such as vomiting and severe diarrhea.
E. coli - what is the risk of infection?
However, when it enters the urinary tract, it can become a serious infection. It is this bacteria that is the most common (60-80%) cause of urinary tract infections. A conducive factor is catheterization - about 80 percent. catheterized men and 30 percent. women have bacteriuria. TheE.colibacterium can also lead to:
- urethritis,
- cystitis,
- pyelonephritis.
E. coliis the second etiological factor, after Streptococcus agalactiae , meningitis innewborns. Some strains can cause peritonitis, which may be complicated by sepsis.
Fortunately, these are quite rare cases - infectionE. colimost often ends with food poisoning, although it may also take a different course. The infection can lead to devastating cholera-like diarrhea, red-like diarrhea, haemorrhagic enteritis, and as a consequence to uremic-hemolytic syndrome (such patients must, for example, undergo dialysis) and thrombosis.