The lethal strain 0104: H4 is probably a mutation of two different Escherichia coli bacteria. The E.coli mutation is dangerous especially for older women.
The 2011 E.coli poisoning epidemicwas caused by an entirely new strain of bacteria that had never been seen before. The strain 0104: H4 containing the lethal genes is likely a mutation of two different bacteriaEscherichia coli . This mutation is especially dangerous for older women, while other, so far known types of E.coli mainly attacked children up to 5 years of age.
Why does E. coli most often infect older women?
- Each microorganism is dangerous, especially for people with reduced immunity - explains Dr. Leszek Marek Krześniak, internist. - Women to the menopausal period tend to have greater immunity than men, but they lose it after that, mainly due to the decline in estrogen, the sex hormones that protect against many diseases. Besides, which may be surprising, but one of the German studies confirmed it, ladies wash their hands less often after leaving the toilet than men. Only 3/4 of the men do it, and only 1/3 of the women. And E.coli bacteria are fecal bacteria, they are easily transferred from the anus to the mouth - adds Dr. Krześniak.
A woman's liver may react slightly differently to toxins. Women usually use more painkillers, anti-depressants, anti-inflammatory drugs, weakening liver function, which then, when exposed to the toxin, will not react adequately.
Finally, women are more likely to come into contact with E.coli also due to a shorter urethra , through which bacteria penetrate more easily, attacking the urinary system and, in many cases, spreading to other organs.
And if it is confirmed that dangerous bacteria come from vegetables, women eat more of them …
Prof. Marc Siegel of the University of New York suggests that the victims of E.coli may have been women whose natural bacterial flora in the large intestine has been depleted, e.g. after antibiotic treatment.