Coli : A Foodborne Illness

2. Why do you think Mrs. Garner's students did not become ill, while Ms. Hines' kids did?

In ground beef you can get E. coli because they slaughter the cow and then the E. coli from there intestine gets on the ground meat and they mix the meat and then that gives it a higher risk of spreading it.(Staff Mayo Clinic) In unpasteurized milk it comes from the udder of the cow and then it gets into the milk. (Staff Mayo Clinic) In fresh food it comes from the farms that can contaminate the farm. The most vulnerable to this is lettuce and spinach. (Staff Mayo Clinic) In contaminated water there can be E. coli because it untreated and there is feces in it.(Staff Mayo Clinic) Also personal contact which means that adults can give it to their kids because they do not wash their hands after using the bathroom.(Staff Mayo Clinic) Also it passed in restaurants because cooks or people working back their do not wash their hands. E. coli causes the hemolytic-urine syndrome, which is a blood and kidney disease in children. It can also cause Uninary tract infections and bladder infections or it can lead to sepsis. There is another cause Thrombotic thrombocytopenic Purpura. This is a rare blood disease. It causes clots to form in small blood vessels throughout the body. This usually causes through the infectious parts of E. coli.

Escherichia coli are rod shaped, gram negative bacteria often found in the gut of humans and other warm-blooded mammals (Jacques & Ngo, 2004). It is transmitted primarily through faecal contaminated food and water. Most strains of E. coli are not harmful to humans, however some strains are pathogenic and can cause symptoms including diarrhoea (Unknown, 2012).

BACKGROUND – E. coli is a food-borne bacterium that inhabits the bowels of warm blooded creatures such as humans and animals. If the individual is infected by E. coli, some symptoms can be “diarrhea, gas, abdominal cramping, fatigue, fever and vomiting.” (Pietrangelo”) If someone is infected with this bacterium, anti-biotics, which is explained by Oxford Dictionaries as “A medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms” can successfully treat the disease if it is outside of the digestive tract.

My unknown organism #11 is Escherichia coli (E. coli). E. coli belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. E. coli is Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe, and rod-shaped bacteria (bacillus). [1]

E. coli bacteria affects children and the elderly along with people with weak immune systems.

As Schlosser proves with his alluring facts, E. Coli is one of the most popular infections to be recognized throughout the nation. With his in-depth research, he provides the stories of the average everyday American who has been infected or passed away with such a horrid disease. Furthermore, Ingrid Abboud, from nittygriddy.com states, “Studies revealed 50% of fountain drink dispensers were found to be contaminated with fecal bacteria”.

E. coli is a bacterium capable of being transmitted from one person to another. To ensure that the bacteria used in this experiment were not transmitted to other places, items, or organisms, several safety protocols were followed.

O157:H7 strain of E. coli that sickened 40 people in eight states (Glausiusz 1). Additionally,

Escherichia coli are gram negative, rod shaped bacteria that are often used in laboratory studies and are usually harmless, residing in the human digestive tract as part of the normal flora. E. coli 0157:H7 is a pathogenic strain of E. coli that was first identified as a cause of disease in the United States in 1982, during an investigation into an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness. The organism is also called enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) because it causes abdominal pain with diarrhea that may contain blood. It lives in the intestines of healthy cattle and can contaminate meat during slaughter. It is believed that the widespread use of antibiotics by American farmers has

The orgimsms involved in Escherichia coli 0157 is an anaerobic bacterium which is shaped like a rod and is Gram-negative. Escherichia is a foodborne pathogen which causes a variety of disease in humans worldwide. Cattle are the reservoir to the diseases. Between 1% and 50% of healthy cattle carry or shed E.coli by means of their faeces. The cattle can also contract the infection after slaughter as conmtanation can occur during slaughter or while the beef is being proceed into products suitable for human consumption. In the United states the most common way of transmission of the disease is through consuming contaminated food and water. Although it is also frequently spread from person to person impartial in communities where there is a high concentration of children such as child care services and primary schools.

E. coli or Escherichia coli is a prokaryotic cell found the in lower digestive track of mammals and other warm blooded animals. E. coli is an easy bacteria to work with as it doubles quickly and is relatively easy to grow, millions of cells can be grown in several hours. E. coli is an ideal bacteria in the lab because it does not require its temperature to be too hot, too cold, or too precise. A general warm temperature is perfect for this bacteria. E. coli is also easy to care for it does not need a specific type of nutrient, in a lab setting it can be feed any agar, making the bacteria over all cheaper to care for. Strains of E. coli can also operate in aerobic or anaerobic environments.

E. coli are usually harmless, but can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illnesses and other illnesses. This bacterium is also beneficial to humans and are part of our natural intestinal microflora, but E. coli can also lead to mild to serious illnesses in the human body. Disease causing E. coli are grouped according to the ways they cause illnesses. Escherichia coli is spread when people consume at-risk foods, these include foods such as undercooked ground beef, produce that have come into contact with fecal matter, contaminated water and unpasteurized dairy and juice products. This bacterium can also spread from person to person by unwashed hands, contaminated surfaces (fomites) and pond water.

Most e coli do not affect people and actually are a very important part of keeping people healthy especially in the intestinal tract. Although there are some e coli that are pathogenic this means that they cause illness this is done either by giving people diarrhoea or illness that is outside the intestinal tract. These types of e coli that cause diarrhoea are usually transmitted through contaminated water ,food, or contact with animals or persons. E coli kill people by causing dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting. E coli are considered gram negative bacteria. Colonies of e coli are circular in shape as well as having an entire margin it is also raised and size is considered punctiform (small). The texture of the colony is also smooth and the appearance is shiny and is no pigmented (colourless) as well as being

Escherichia coli are commonly found in lower intestine of warm blooded animals. Most E. coli are harmless. The bacteria can be grown easily and its genetics are relatively simple and easy to study, making it the best-studied prokaryotic organism. Certain strains of E. coli can produce toxins that can cause food poisoning when eating unwashed vegetables. (Wikipedia, 2010)