ESCHERICHIA COLI By: Breana Williams
DISEASE OVERVIEW Escherichia cli (E. cli) are bacteria that can be fund in the intestines f humans and animals alng with in the envirnment and in fd. There are many different strains f E. cli. Sme are harmless while thers are pathgenic and may cause prblems like diarrhea r pssibly ther illnesses utside f the digestive tract. Mst ften caused by cntaminated r undercked fds, the time between ingestin and the appearance f symptms (incubatin time) is apprximately 1-4 days. There are many different strains f E. cli, the mst cmmn being O157:H7. There are ther strains that can als cause disease like O26:H11, and O111:H8
DISEASE OVERVIEW O157:H7. The mst cmmn strain f E. cli prduces txins called Shiga txins which can severely damage the lining f the intestines and the kidneys. Shiga txin-prducing E. cli (STEC) can cause bldy diarrhea and may lead t kidney failure in immuncmprmised individuals r in children.
SIGNS/SYMPTOMS Infected individuals may experience the fllwing (nt everyne will exhibit these signs/symptms): Sudden abdminal pain Diarrhea Nausea Vmiting Fever Fatigue
HISTORY OF DISEASE Thedr Escherich was the ne t islate the type species f the genus fr the bacteria and therefre Escherichia was named after him. 1982 was when E. cli was first recgnized as a pathgen but it wasn t until 1993 that it became well knwn as imprtant and threatening after a huge multistate utbreak caused by undercked grund beef that was being sld by a fast fd chain. In 1994, it became a natinally ntifiable infectin.
ETIOLOGICAL AGENT What is E. cli?? Gram-Negative bacteria Facultative anaerbe Bacillus Can exist singly and in pairs Participates in bth fermentative and respiratry metablism Apprximately 0.5 μm in width by 2-3 μm in length. Mtile due t flagella Virulence factrs include flagella, and the release f dangerus Shiga txins
TRANSMISSION Fecal-Oral transmissin is the rute that E. cli takes. The bacteria live in the digestive tract and are fund within feces s cntact with such substance withut prper cleaning can lead t disease. The mst cmmn mde f transmissin is thrugh cntaminated fds and drinks i.e.: undercked r raw hamburger, unpasteurized milk r juices, prduce, cntaminated water(frequented by animals) Other ways that E. cli may be transmitted are by failure t wash hands thrughly after cntact with an infected individual, animal r animal waste and by swallwing un-chlrinated r under-chlrinated water in pls cntaminated by human feces.
TRANSMISSION Vectrs Studies have shwn that slugs are a ptential nvel vectr fr E. cli as it was fund that E. cli in excreted slug feces was viable fr up t 3 weeks and certain species f slugs culd hst viable E. cli n their uter surface fr up t 14 days.
PREVENTION Wash hands thrughly after using the restrm, changing a diaper, and handling animals r anything that may cntain animal fecal matter. Make sure all meat is cked thrughly befre eating. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables befre eating. Avid drinking any unpasteurized milks r juices. Keep raw meat separate frm ready t eat fds t prevent crss cntaminatin.
TREATMENT There is n evidence that antibitic treatment is helpful with E.cli and taking antibitics may increase risks fr further cmplicatin. With mst cases f E. cli, patients recver within 5-10 days withut the use f medicatin. Mst treatment is aimed at managing the symptms. Fr example, dehydratin due t excessive water lss frm diarrhea will be treated by restring fluids. Other treatments include dialysis fr thse with kidney failure and bld transfusins t treat anemia.
PREVALENCE E. cli is respnsible fr apprximately 73,000 illnesses annually in the United States. It leads t an estimated 2,168 hspitalizatins and 61 deaths each year. *N= 350*
E. COLI IN OREGON
CASES BY COUNTY
CASE STUDY A wman went ut t eat at a lcal fast fd restaurant fr lunch ne day where she had a burger that happened t be slightly under-cked. She went n with her day nt nticing anything wrng. It wasn t until 3 days later that she develped really bad stmach cramps and sn after, she started experiencing diarrhea alng with mild nausea. These symptms persisted fr a few days until the wman finally decided t see a dctr. With a physical exam and an accunt f her histry it was presumed t be an E. cli infectin s the dctr tk a stl sample t cnfirm the presence f the harmful bacterium. The dctr gave the patient an IV drip t cmpensate fr the dehydratin and sent the wman n her way with the idea that the infectin wuld clear n its wn within 5-10 days.
IMPORTANCE As with ther diseases and infectins, the better we understand them, the better we can avid/treat them. E. cli is an imprtant tpic f study and is deserving f time and mney because f its ptential t cause disease but als because it is a part f the nrmal flra in ur bdies and gaining mre understanding f the bacteria culd ptentially lead t even greater discveries f nt nly the disease but als f the human bdy. With the fast grwth rate f the bacteria and its ability t survive utside f the hst, it is really easy t be expsed t E. cli. Preventin is key and it is well wrth the little mney and effrt it takes t keep the harmful bacteria away.
REFERENCES Centers fr Disease Cntrl and Preventin (2011) Epidemilgy f Escherichia cli O157:H7 Outbreaks, United States, 1982-2002. Retrieved n February 8, 2014 frm http://wwwnc.cdc.gv/eid/article/11/4/04-0739_article.htm Centers fr Disease Cntrl and Preventin ( 2012) General Infrmatin. Retrieved n February 8, 2014 frm http://www.cdc.gv/ecli/general/index.html Medical News Tday (2013) What is E. cli? (Escherichia Cli). Retrieved n February 8, 2014 frm http://www.medicalnewstday.cm/articles/68511.php Medicine Net (2012) E. Cli O157:H7. Retrieved n February 10, 2014 frm http://www.medicinenet.cm/e_cli 0157h7/page5.htm Medscape (2014) Escherichia Cli Infectins. Retrieved n February 8, 2014 frm http://emedicine.medscape.cm/article/217485-verview#a0101 Natinal Institute f Allergy and Infectius Diseases (2012) E. cli. Retrieved n February 10, 2014 frm http://www.niaid.nih.gv/tpics/ecli/pages/default.aspx Sprstn, Emma; Macrae, M.; Strachan, Nrval (2006) Slugs: Ptential Nvel Vectrs f Escherichia cli O157. Retrieved n February 11, 2014 frm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gv/pmc/articles/pmc1352200/