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Coli : A Foodborne Illness

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E. Coli, A Foodborne Illness
Ethan Bauer
Southeast Community College Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, type of anaerobic bacterium that can be found in the environment, foods and the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals as a normal flora (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). It was first discovered by Theodor Escherich, a German-Austrian pediatrician and university professor, in the year 1885. He was highly keen and had a sharp mindset filled with the belief that many of the ailments suffered by his pediatric patients, could be solved by studying bacteriology. While on the pursuit for a cause that involved fatal intestinal diseases in children, he found a quick-growing, rod-shaped bacterium in the feces of his patients that would later be called E. coli (Radhakrishnan, 2009). E. coli bacteria normally lies in the intestinal tract of people and animals. In most cases, E. coli is a harmless bacterium and even serves as an essential part of a healthy human intestinal tract. However, there are multiple types of E. coli and some are pathogenic, meaning they can cause illness. Pathogenic E. coli strains are categorized into six pathotypes: STEC, EHEC, ETEC, EPEC, EAEC, EIEC, and DAEC. Pathogenic forms of E. coli bacteria are able to infiltrate, grow and live in a variety of foods and beverages. Once a food or beverage is contaminated and then consumed, the individual who has consumed it is at risk of an E. coli infection.
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