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Diarrhea and Food Borne Illness |
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E. coli O157:H7 is an important bacterial cause of food borne disease. It is a strain of a common intestinal bacteria that causes the acute onset of severe diarrhea (often bloody) and abdominal cramps and is occasionally associated with severe complications in children and the elderly. On average, symptoms from E. coli O157:H7 infection develop within 3 to 4 days of eating contaminated food, with a range of 1 to 10 days. Symptoms usually include severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps; sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea or no symptoms. Usually little or no fever is present, and the illness resolves in 5 to 10 days. In some people, the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail.
Recently, there have been three confirmed cases in UNC-Chapel Hill students and a small number of suspicious cases are under investigation. The Orange County Health Department, working in consultation with the North Carolina Communicable Disease Branch of the State Health Department, has been investigating the cluster of cases and has not found any common source of exposure. Currently, there is no indication that other students are at risk.
People can become infected with E.coli O157:H7 in a variety of ways. Though most illness has been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef, people have also become ill from eating contaminated bean sprouts or fresh leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. Person-to-person contact in families and child care centers is also a known mode of transmission. In addition, infection can occur after drinking raw milk and after swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water.
To lessen your chance of contracting E coli O157:H7 infection, the Centers for Disease Control recommend the following:
- Cook all ground beef and hamburger thoroughly. Because ground beef can turn brown before disease-causing bacteria are killed, use a digital instant-read meat thermometer to ensure thorough cooking. Ground beef should be cooked until a thermometer inserted into several parts of the patty, including the thickest part, reads at least 160º F. If you cook ground beef without using a thermometer, you can decrease the risk of illness by not eating patties that are pink in the middle.
- If you are served an undercooked hamburger or other ground beef product in a restaurant, send it back for more cooking. Consider asking for a new bun and a clean plate.
- Avoid spreading harmful bacteria in the kitchen. Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods. Wash hands, counters and utensils with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat. Never place cooked hamburgers or ground beef on the unwashed plate that held raw patties. Wash meat thermometers in between tests of patties that require further cooking.
- Wash fruits and vegetables under running water, especially those that will not be cooked. Bacteria are sticky, so even thorough washing may not remove all contamination. Remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables. People at high risk of complications from food-borne illness may wish to eat cooked vegetables and peeled fruits.
- People with diarrhea should wash their hands carefully with soap after bowel movements to reduce the risk of spreading infection. Anyone with a diarrheal illness should avoid swimming in public pools, sharing baths with others, and preparing food for others.
For more information, please visit the CDC website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm.
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