E-Coli
Emily Ashley
Description
A bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most of these bacteria are harmless.
You may exposed to it from:
Contaminated food:
- Ground beef- e-coli from the cow's intestines can get on the meat
- unpasteurized milk-bacteria from the cows may get into it
- fresh produce- runoff from cattle fields can contaminate food
- restaurant meals- servers may not wash hands
- human and animal feces may pollute any body of water
- can easily travel from person to person, especially when they do not wash their hands
Symptoms:
abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting
Complications
Most healthy adults recover within a week. However some people, particularly children and older adults may develop life threatening kidney failure.
Targets individuals based on:
- Age: Young children and older adults have the highest risk
- Weakened immune systems: people with weak immune systems, AIDS, or drugs to treat cancer or drugs to prevent rejection of organ transplants
- Eating certain types of food: under cooked hamburger, unpasteurized milk, apple juice or cider and soft cheeses made from raw milk
Frequency
it is estimated that 10,000-20,000 cases occur in the United States each year