Escherichia coli (known as E. coli for short) – for those of you who don’t know it, this is a bacteria (a germ) that has made quite a name for causing severe cramps as well as diarrhea. When it comes to kids and older people, the symptoms are far worse. This is especially true if you are someone who is suffering from another illness.
E. Coli Infection – The Causes
So what are the root causes of E. Coli Infection? Let’s take a closer look:
(A) eating undercooked and ground beef (it’s undercooked when the insides are pink)
(B) drinking impure…or even worse, contaminated water
(C) drinking unpasteurized or raw milk
(D) Working with cattle
And those are just to name a few!
Get this – even the healthiest beef and dairy cattle could carry the E. coli bacteria in their intestines. Now, during the slaughtering process, the meat could be easily contaminated. Finally, when the beef is ground up, the germs are mixed throughout the meat. And eating that meat undercooked is a surefire way to get infected!
You should also take note that this germ can be easily passed from one person to another. If you have this infection (and you don’t know it) and you don’t wash your hands with soap well enough after you went to the bathroom, you can easily pass the bacteria to other people around you by just touching things…that’s especially true for food.
People who are suffering from E. coli infection are very contagious. Kids should NOT go to a day care center until they have 2 stool cultures that are negative…evidence that the infection is gone without a trace. The same thing can be said with older people: they should stay in their nursing homes and in bed until the 2 negative stool cultures are made.
E. Coli Infection – A Look At The Symptoms
Seven days after you are infected with E. coli, the symptoms will start to appear. The first and most prominent symptom of the infection: sudden and severe abdominal cramps. This is followed by watery diarrhea after a couple of hours. As a result, your body will lose fluids and electrolytes…leading to dehydration.
This will inevitably make you feel sick and tired. This watery diarrhea would last for about a day or so. Next, to the diarrhea, your stools will be bright red and bloody. This is the result of the sores caused by the E. coli infection. The bloody diarrhea would last for about 2 to 5 days. Just how inconvenient could it get? Get this – for someone suffering from E. coli infection, having 10 or more bowel movements a day is common.
Heck! Some E. coli infection victims even say that their stools are all blood and no stools!
You may also experience mild fever, nausea, as well as vomiting. If you are experiencing all of these symptoms, watery as well as bloody diarrhea, cramps, mild fever, and others, talk to your doctor right away!
E. Coli Infection – Fighting Back Against It
Unfortunately, there is no special treatment against E. Coli Infection except drinking a lot of water, watching for complications. HOWEVER, there is one thing you can do to prevent getting it – aside from washing your hands, making sure your food and drinks are pure and NOT contaminated, you should also supplement yourself with probiotics.
Probiotics are good and beneficial bacteria that naturally inhabit your gut. Unfortunately, their numbers are decimated due to stress, pollution, medicine, etc. These good bacteria are responsible for defending your digestive system against the bad ones and taking probiotic supplement is an excellent way to make sure you have sufficient probiotic count.