E. coli (Escherichia coli) is the name of a germ, or bacterium, that lives within the digestive tracts of people and animals.
There are various forms of E. coli, and most of them do not cause harm. However some can lead to bloody diarrhea. Some lines of E. coli bacteria may also cause severe anemia or kidney failure, which is able to lead to death
Various strains of E. coli are known to cause urinary tract infections or other infections.
A person can get an E. coli infection by contact with the feces, or stool, of humans or animals. It will occur while you drink water or consume food that has been contaminated by feces.
E. coli can get into meat in the course of processing. If the contaminated meat is just not cooked to 160°F (71°C), the microorganism can live on and infect you whilst you consume meat. This is essentially the most common way humans end up contaminated with E. coli. Any meals that have been in contact with raw meat may additionally become infected.
Other foods that can be infected with E. coli include:
- Raw milk or dairy products
- Raw fruits and vegetables
- coli in water
