Q: What is it?
A: E. coli (or Escherichia coli) is a rod-shaped bacteria that lives in the gut of warm-blooded animals.It typically arrives in the intestines of humans within 40 hours of birth and is part of the natural flora of our digestive tract. The bacteria is important to our health through the synthesis of vitamins and the crowding out of other disease-causing bugs.There are, however, many different strains of E. coli and some cause food poisoning.
Q: How do people catch the strain that causes food poisoning?
A: As unpleasant as the thought may be, fecal contamination of food is how people get infected with the bug. The culprits are typically contaminated meat and vegetables grown near to cows or other livestock, which carry the offending organism, or produce watered with E. coli contaminated water. The outbreak in Germany was caused by contaminated vegetables, now thought to be bean sprouts.
Q: So you can die from an E. coli infection?
A: Rarely. There are hundreds of thousands of cases of E. coli infection in the US every year and just a few hundred deaths. The strain in Germany right now is an especially poisonous variety known as STEC O104:H4.
It produces a poison in the gut called Shiga toxin, which can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) - a type of kidney failure. Of the over 2,400 cases of infection, more than 800 people have developed HUS. This strain also appears to have some antibiotic resistance as well.
Q: What symptoms should I be on the lookout for? A: First of all, there is little evidence that the STEC outbreak in Germany is spreading from a limited geographical area. That said, if you have visited Germany recently and are displaying some of the following symptoms please DO NOT HESITATE to contact us. For the rest of you, it is good to be aware of how E. coli poisoning manifests itself, because outbreaks like the one in Germany could occur in the US. Symptoms of STEC infection include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (which is often bloody), and vomiting. If there is fever, it usually is not very high. Most people get better within 5-7 days, but some patients go on to develop HUS-usually about a week after the diarrhea starts. Symptoms of HUS include decreased frequency of urination, feeling very tired, and losing pink color to skin and membranes due to anemia. The standout symptom here is bloody diarrhea. If you have that, please call us or your personal physician immediately! 
Q: What can I do to protect myself and my family? A: The US Government has a wonderful website which is full of easy to understand articles, charts, and even videos about how to choose, prepare, cook, and store food safely. Some general rules of thumb are: CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate! COOK: Cook to proper temperature CHILL: Refrigerate promptly Q: I don't really see how this would help with raw vegetables? A: The "clean" principle applies to the food itself, too! Studies have shown that washing produce in fresh water reduces the bacterial load by over 90%. Listen to this interesting NPR article about the research.
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