Microbe:
E. coli, a bacterial microbe has a couple of different names.
Together, they are called the EEC group. These include Eschericia
coli and Escherichia coli.
Kingdom: Monera
General Overview of E-coli:
E-coli is a foodborne illness that once injested in large
quantities can lead to sickness. It has been found in
restaurants, apple cider, day-care centers and fast-food
hamburgers. It gets into the body through ingestion and
multiplies. Although some of these bacteria are considered normal
flora, the harmful ones have to be killed by heating or by
dissinfection. It can lead to diarrhea and other disliked
symptoms, but are not permenant or lethal except to the young,
old, or people with weak immune systems.
Prevention, Cure, and/or Treatment of E-coli:
Since chicken and meat can be a source of strains of E-coli, when
preparing chicken and other meats, cook them well done. Prepare
fresh vegetables seperately and wash your hands frequently. Keep
food dishes out of the "Danger Zone" by keeping them
refrigerated or hot- not just warm. When working in a day care
setting or such, wash your hands before working with food. These
precautions are pretty much everything that your mother told you
to do. The burgers in the news linked to the outbreaks could have
been cooked at hotter temperatures and the apple cider should
have been pasteurized, something that is going to be mandated by
the government in the future
Diagnosis: diarrhea, fever, nasea, and abdominal cramps,
Related sites on the web:
[U. S. FDA]
[University
of Birmingham]
[University
of Kansas - John Brown]
Go to the UMC Home Page
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Last Updated: January 13, 1997
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