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:

Foodborne illness, otherwise known as a food outbreak, occurs when two or more people fall sick from consuming the same contaminated beverage or food. Food outbreaks can cause severe illness, hospitalization, and death of hundreds of people if not dealt with immediately. From all-natural vegetables and fruits to processed food and drink, food outbreaks can occur in any food product made or handled with negligence.

Foodborne illnesses are usually caused by parasites, viruses, bacteria, and toxins and can affect people of all ages. Here is a summary of recent food outbreaks.

Did you know that food allergies affect over 50 million Americans? In fact, food allergy affects approximately 8% of children and 6% of adults every year, and the numbers keep rising. Another study states that around 11% of adults in the United States have food allergies. While any kind of food can cause an allergic reaction, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 90% of food allergy reactions are caused by these eight foods: eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, and tree nuts. In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of common food allergies.

What Is a Food Allergy?

Food allergy is your immune system’s reaction to certain food types. The immune system recognizes the food protein as a threat and signals your brain to release chemicals like histamine, which can cause inflammation. Similar to genetic disorders, food allergies run in families. Thus if you have inherited an allergic condition like eczema, asthma, or hay fever, there is a high chance that you might have a food allergy.  

Do you feel a sharp pain in your lower abdomen and stomach and have the urge to use the bathroom 10 to 20 times a day? You might have Shigellosis, a severe intestinal infection caused by a bacterium called Shigella. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 450,000 people are diagnosed with Shigellosis every year. Causing bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, cramps, and abdominal pain, this foodborne illness can infect anyone with poor sanitation habits. While there is no proper treatment for Shigellosis, researchers are still working on vaccines to prevent the spread of the bacteria. Keep reading to learn more about Shigella.

In American society, there is too often a sense that if someone is suffering due to a foodborne illness, they are simply grappling with a turn of bad luck. In reality, food poisoning usually occurs because of negligent practices by individuals or companies. As a result, many cases of food poisoning are legally actionable. Inadequate hygiene, poor safety practices, and a host of other preventable challenges are what generally lead to food poisoning on farms, in manufacturing facilities, packaging centers, stores, restaurants, and events where food is served.

There are two challenges that generally make filing a food poisoning matter in civil court particularly tricky. First, a plaintiff must be able to prove that their food poisoning resulted in financial loss, such as medical bills from a hospital stay and lost income due to time off taken to recover. Second, it can be difficult to prove exactly how and why a food poisoning victim became ill.

Retracing One’s Steps  

For a food poisoning case to be actionable, a victim must be able to prove that they were suffering from food poisoning, not an alternative medical condition. As a result – and so that they can be treated effectively – it is important for those who have been made ill to seek medical attention and to obtain a formal diagnosis.