Escherichia coli is a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium. It belongs to the family of Escherichia coli.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is present in the intestines in many mammals, primates, in particular, including humans. It is because of this that she got her second name. In the microflora of the human intestine, the bacterium performs a useful task. It helps to suppress harmful bacteria and is involved in the synthesis of individual vitamins.
Along with this, there are its varieties that can cause acute intestinal pathologies in humans. Today, more than one hundred and fifty pathogenic sticks of Escherichia coli have been identified. All of them are combined into four classes: enteropathogenic, enteroinvasive, enterotoxigenic, enterohemorrhagic.
Bacteria belonging to E. coli are highly unstable to fever. At 60 ° C, their death is noted after fifteen minutes; at 100 ° C, death occurs instantly. The ability to preserve at low temperatures and various substrates of the external environment is poorly understood today. According to the results of some studies in the soil and in water, Escherichia coli can persist for up to several months.
Traditional disinfectants (formalin, phenol, caustic soda, mercuric chloride, bleach, creolin and others) in ordinary dilutions eliminate E. coli quickly enough.
Diseases caused by this bacterium are combined under the general concept of "Escherichiosis". Also used are the definitions of coli-enteritis, coli-infection, colibacteriosis (veterinary disease), travelers' diarrhea. Each condition differs in certain features during the course of the disease. According to its symptoms, the disease can resemble the development of dysentery or cholera.
Escherichiosis refers to intestinal pathologies, characterized by an acute course and fecal-oral distribution mechanism. The incubation period lasts for three or six (usually four or five) days.
Escherichia coli is part of the conditionally pathogenic microflora. In other words, she may be normal. However, when creating favorable conditions for the development of infection, it can provoke an inflammatory process.
Detected Escherichia coli in the urine in large quantities in a woman often indicates the presence of cystitis. In this case, the condition may be accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the urethra. Along with this, spotting after intercourse is possible. In such cases, it is recommended to take an additional analysis on the vaginal flora.
Bacterial infection can occur from cattle. Young animals often develop colibacillosis. Therefore, meat becomes a source of infection. This disease can also affect pets (cats, dogs). However, according to experts, the main method of infection should still be considered fecal contamination of food or drinking water.
Escherichiosis in children occurs in the form of enterocolitis, enteritis of varying severity in combination with intoxication syndrome of a general nature. Severe and moderate course of pathology is accompanied by sepsis, diarrhea, fever.
Escherichiosis in adults in its clinical picture resembles the course of acute dysentery. As a rule, pathology proceeds in mild and worn out forms. In rare cases (in fifteen to twenty percent), the average severity of the disease is detected, even less often (in three percent) a severe form.
In children older than one year and adults, the prognosis of the pathology is favorable. The most severe course of the disease is noted in newborns (in the first six months of life).