Belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, Escherichia Coli is a rod-shaped bacterium that thrives in all kinds of environments, with or without air. Commonly known as E. coli, the bacteria love to live in the intestine of warm-blooded animals and humans. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a total of 265,000 E. coli cases are reported in the United States annually, resulting in 30 fatalities and 3,600 hospitalizations. The majority of these cases (around 36%) are caused by the STEC O157 E. coli strain, whereas the non-O157 STEC strains cause 64%. Read on to learn more about the E. coli bacteria infection.
What Is E. coli Bacteria Infection?
Found in the intestines of both animals and healthy people, E. coli is a bacteria that helps in the digestion of food. Even though harmless, some Escherichia Coli strains cause life-threatening bacterial infections. When an E. coli strain infects your body, it produces a toxin that damages the internal lining of the small intestine, causing diarrhea. There are primarily six strains of Escherichia Coli:
...