Posted: 09/12/05 - 02:00 Post subject: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli
Hi. First I want to mention that I have never had any problems with my digestion. I'm 34 year old male.
Recently I started to suffer from watery and even sometimes bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
All this made me thinking about some food poisoning but my symptoms were much worse and present over than a week now.
One friend told me it could be from some bacteria called Escherichia Coli.
Now, I'm confused because I thought this bacteria normally lives in a human body and causes no harm to it.
Am I wrong? Any help would be more than welcome!
You are only partially right about this. Escherichia coli is the predominant nonpathogenic facultative flora of the human intestine but this bacterium however, have developed the ability to cause disease of the gastrointestinal, urinary, or central nervous system.
When E. coli strains acquire certain genetic material, they can become pathogenic.
The right cause is unknown.
E. coli are the most common cause of diarrhea in people that travel a lot. As with other diarrheal pathogens, the primary goal of treatment of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli diarrhea is to prevent dehydration by correcting fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only.
It is not meant to substitute for medical advice provided by your physician or other medical professional.
If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your physician or health care provider.
