Environmental Factors On Fecal Contamination Of Drinking Water

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).

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

For the seven interviews that the team conducted, three of the cases had eaten hamburger or ground beef, no cases had drunk raw milk, only one case had traveled outside Michigan, no restaurant or social event was identified in common, all of the cases had consumed lettuce, and six had eaten alfalfa sprouts. Appendix A shows the line listing of people who became ill with E.coli or E.coli symptoms from June 15 to July 15. Based on those findings no obvious linkages between patients were found. Appendix B shows the epidemic curve for this outbreak. The epidemic curve showed that the onset of illness among cases occurred from June to July with largest number occurring on June 22nd. Based on the appendix D, DNA fingerprinting

Although most strains of E. coli are commensals, a small portion of strains are pathogenic in humans. The pathogenic strains can be grouped into

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

Escherichia Coli (E. coli) 0157:h7 is mainly a food borne pathogen but an area of concern to me regarding E. coli 0157:h7 are the reports of this bacterium being present in recreational areas and drinking sources that can cause illnesses for individuals. What causes this to occur? What happens to waste and feces after floods or heavy rains. What are solutions to help keep recreational areas safer? E. coli was discovered in 1885 by a German Austrian pediatrician named Theodore Escherich using samples from healthy individuals’ feces. Escherichia coli is a bacterium that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. The presence of this bacteria is a part of a healthy intestinal tract. E. coli usually poses no threats in the healthy individual but can become a great problem for the sick, young, elderly and those with a weakened immune system. E. coli is a gram negative, facultatively anaerobic rod shaped bacterium. The cell wall is composed of a thin peptidoglycan layer and outer membrane. It can be grown and cultured easily and inexpensively in a lab setting, thus making it one of the most studied bacteria. E. coli is known as a prokaryotic model organism. E. coli causing disease is caused by Shiga toxin that cause serious illness in people. Transmission of this pathogen is normally a common problem with contaminated cattle consumption and under

There has been an outbreak of E-coli in about 16 states early this year, which was related to the romaine lettuce which was acquired from Yuma, Arizona. “The C.D.C. learned that the others infected by that particular strain, E. coli O157:H7, had also eaten chopped romaine lettuce at restaurants before getting sick. It turned over the information to the Food and Drug Administration, which helped trace the outbreak to Yuma, Ariz.”, (Chokshi,2018). The e-coli would have been transmitted through feces which may have come from either a human or an animal. States like Pennsylvania and Idaho have been affected the most.

E. Coli is both a necessary bacteria in the human digestive tract and a very harmful toxin

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”.

In the year, 2005 a major outbreak of the bacterium E. coli perished in the South Wales and more than 157 people were affected by this bacterium, which mainly included the children. The reason found out behind this incident was connected with a meat supplier who used to serve the local schools and old age homes. A five-year-old child lost his life during the course of this outbreak. Therefore, this paper is written with the aim of exploring the outbreak of E. coli in South Wales, to witness the actual reasons of the diseases, the difficulties that arise during the course of the event and to give a look on the things that this incident has taught us.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 has been found as one of the most common causes of both outbreaks of human diarrheal disease in North America and throughout the world. Major outbreaks happened over the world, and 70% to 80% of sporadic cases of classic hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) reported in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan have been found associated with E coli O157:H7 infections (Boyce, Swerdlow et al. 1995). Also the other diseases including mild diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that E. coli causes approximately 73,000 illnesses and more than 60 deaths per year in the United State. (Woodward 2002) The cost of treatment for infections caused by consume VTEC contaminated produce is about $38 billion in average per year in the US due to the increase of foodborne illness associate with produce.

In June of 1997, the Michigan Department of Community Health became aware of increased reports of E.coli. Fifty-two reports of infections were reported compared to eighteen in June 1996. These results showed a significant increase in the number of cases for residents of Michigan. The cases were found to be from all different locations in Michigan, all were different ages and both male and female. Little was known about the causes of the outbreak except it occurred at a slightly higher rate in women than men. Out of the cases, thirty-eight people interviewed who had the illness, none of them consumed ground beef, milk, were in contact with farm animals, and no restaurants were in common, but they all consumed sprouts seven days before the onset of symptoms. My role as an epidemiologist for this outbreak

The presentation for our group was to discuss E.coli 1057:H7. Each member of the group was responsible for focusing and explaining their assigned task for the disease. This presentation includes the signs and symptoms, environmental location, transmission, unique characteristics, prevention and treatment.

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)

El Paso is currently a top 20% growth city in Texas and is expanding due to the help of Fort Bliss and the expansion of the city to the east (City of El Paso, 2016). Like most things in our environment, water is needed for growth---a vital nutrient our desert city lacks. Currently, El Paso, Texas received 9.34 inches of rainwater in 2016, down from 12.54 from 2015 (National Weather Service, 2017). As of September 28th, 2017, El Paso currently has 8.54 inches to this year (National Weather Service, 2017). With the scarcity of water and the need for water to support our growth the importance of finding not only Escherichia coli 0157:H7 but other species of bacteria in our project can help benefit further research and show the susceptibility