E. Coli
Unlike many gut microbes, most people know E.coli by name - Kat Eschner
image by: Biologie Amusante
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Why Are Some E. Coli Strains Deadly While Others Live Peacefully in Our Bodies?
Obviously some E. coli can be deadly for people. But not all strains of these bacteria make you sick. In fact, you have a variety of strains of E. coli in your intestines right now – including one that’s busy making the antioxidant vitamin K, crucial for your and its survival.
Scientists like me often characterize E. coli by the sugar coat they display on their cell surface. A molecule called a lipopolysaccharide is the anchor that displays a collection of sugars to their environment.
These sugars help the bacteria stick to surfaces and reveal their identity to your immune system. Human cells do this, too – your blood type is defined by sugars displayed on your blood cells,…
Resources
Outbreaks
When two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, the event is called a foodborne disease outbreak. The list on this page primarily represents multistate foodborne outbreak investigations involving E. coli since 2006...
E. coli doesn't just give you food poisoning—it can also help you get essential nutrients
Unlike many gut microbes, most people know E.coli by name. It shows up in the news mostly thanks to food poisoning stories resulting from contaminated water and workers not washing their hands. But many strains are a normal part of our digestive system. In fact, the reason E.coli outbreaks are so common is at least partially because it's so common in our gut and those of other animals.
The Patient Who Finally Knows Why Her UTIs Won’t Go Away
Urinary-tract infections were once easy to cure. Then they started becoming resistant to antibiotics.
My Life-Threatening Bout With E. Coli Food Poisoning
Before my illness, I was a healthy 22-year-old just out of college. But at some point, my doctors speculated, I must have eaten leafy greens contaminated by E. coli bacteria.
The Fix for E. Coli Outbreaks Could Be ... the Blockchain
To improve food safety, we need a stronger chain of data. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
E.Coli Outbreaks - Preventable or Fact of Life?
Despite advances in medical science, bugs such as E. coli will always be one step ahead of us. Every now and then they will emerge with a vengeance as they spread illness and in extreme cases, death. Always try to find out where your produce comes from and never assume that your food is clean.
Beating E.coli - what are you doing to break the chain of infection?
People are quite rightly increasingly concerned about antibiotic resistant bacteria and the search for new diagnostic tools and medicines, but we must never lose focus on simply preventing these infections from occurring in the first place.
From farm to the plate: Europe’s deadly E. coli outbreak
The virulent strain we’re seeing in Europe which has infected more than 1500 people and killed 17 is called E. coli 0104. While this particular strain is new, there are quite a lot of other E. coli strains that have done something similar in the past. Certain strains of E. coli contain a toxin or poison called the “Shiga toxin”. This toxin causes damage to the bowel and symptoms begin with bloody diarrhoea. They can progress to clots in the blood vessels and a break down in blood cells (this process is called “haemolytic–uremic syndrome”). This eventually results in kidney failure and can cause death.
Hacked E. Coli Shows the Promise of Programmable Biology
Researchers turn living cells into biological sensing and computing platforms.
Why Are Some E. Coli Strains Deadly While Others Live Peacefully in Our Bodies?
You have a variety of strains of E. coli in your intestine, including one that’s busy making the antioxidant vitamin K crucial for your and its survival.
E. coli Blog
Surveillance & analysis on E, Coli news and outbreaks.
E. Coli Genome Project
The E. coli Genome Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had its genesis in an editorial by Frederick R. Blattner in the November 18, 1983 issue of Science, in which he raised the idea of completely sequencing the E. coli (and human) genomes.
About E. Coli
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 73,000 cases of Escherichia coli O157:H7, occur annually in the United States. Every year, 2,100 Americans are hospitalized, and 61 people die as a direct result of E. coli infections and its complications.
CDC
The Tennessee State Department of Health and CDC are collaborating with public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to investigate an ongoing multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in humans.
WHO
Escherichia Coli Infections
WHO
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne disease.
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