E.coli, What Is It And How Did It Get In My Food?
The American Academy of Microbiology has put together an FAQ about E.coli to increase public awareness of the common, and sometimes deadly bacteria. Below is a summary.
What is E.coli?
Escherichia coli, or E.coli, is a single celled bacterium that lives in the gastrointestinal tracts of most animals, including humans. There are a variety of E.coli strains, some are good, others are not. The good strains aid digestion and protect us from harmful microbes. But if they move out of the gut and into the bloodstream they can be as harmful as the bad strains that cause disease and disrupt body function.
How does E.coli make us sick?
Some strains produce toxins that disrupt normal cellular function. Diarrhea, one of the main symptoms of an E. coli infection, happens when when the E. coli cause cells in the intestine to absorb less water, or release water into the intestine. In some cases E. coli can damage small vessel cells that line the intestines resulting in bloody diarrhea.
How does our food become contaminated with E.coli?
It all starts with poop. The source of E. coli in almost all food and water contamination events can be traced back to exposure to fecal matter at some point in the food chain; whether it is on the farm, at the processing plant, in transportation, during retail, at the restaurant, or even during preparation in our homes.
Most manure is devoid of harmful E. coli, but a small percentage of cattle carry pathogenic E. coli in their gut. These harmful E. coli are then shed in the cattle’s manure and, if applied to crops without first being composted, can be a source of contamination.
Wildlife may also contaminate food. Deer, birds, and pests native to agricultural areas can deposit feces that may contain pathogenic E. coli on plants.
Manure can cause contamination problems in food even when not used as fertilizer. Raw milk can be contaminated during the milking process. Or, when cattle are slaughtered, E. coli from their feces can occasionally make its way onto beef.
Contamination of food can also come through water. Spraying contaminated water on plants to irrigate, wash, or chill them can contaminate foods.
Food is not the only way we can ingest E. coli. Pathogenic E. coli contamination can be a problem in recreational water. If not properly cleaned and chlorinated, E. coli can survive in swimming pools and other recreational water sources.
What’s being done to prevent contamination of our food?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects meat, poultry and egg producers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests all other food and has best practices guidelines for farmers.
Some risks are considered so substantial that federal and state laws prohibit certain practices. for example, in most states unpasteurized (raw) milk is prohibited or can only be purchased directly from a farmer. milk that enters into the commercial pipeline must be pasteurized, a process by which milk is sufficiently heated to kill pathogens, like E. coli that may be present. Other processed foods and beverages (like juices) can also be pasteurized to reduce health risk
Source: The American Academy of Microbiology
