E. Coli Research Paper

Escherichia Coli 0157:H7

This paper will specialize on a specific type of bacterial foodborne illness caused by the bacteria Escherichia Coli. E. coli was discovered by Theodore von Escherich in 1885. E.coli is a natural found bacteria that lies throughout the intestinal tract of warm blooded animals and comes in many forms only one of which is deadly. This form is E. coli 0157:H7 which can be caused by direct exposure to fecal matter to kill this rouge E.coli the contaminated material must be cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. In the United States every year 73,000 people are afflicted with this rouge E.coli in which an average of 61 people die. One other form of E.coli that can be detrimental to your health is the Shiga producing E.coli 026 (STEC 026)

Symptoms of this Bacteria typically range from 1 to 10 days to occur often include: nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, gas, loss of appetite, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, and mild fevers approximately 33.70C to 380C. More serious side effects can include

During this outbreak 35 individuals were infected with The Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC O121) the range of the outbreak in 19 states which consisted of: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Of the 35 individuals, nine were hospitalized, and two of which developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, all cases were non-fatal. After extensive investigation work, it was determined that the contaminated products were frozen products from a specific packaging plant in Waycross, Georgia in which all products handled between June 1, 2011 and March 29, 2013 had possible contamination and as such those products were recalled on April 4, 2013. The transfer of this bacteria was attributed to the Waycross plant the exact source of the contamination was never