Jeymy De La Cruz
Connie 8/10/09

1.What is it?

Ecoli is a bacteria that lives in your body. When eating raw meat or manure or drinking unpasteurized milk or contaminated water this bacteria can multiply.

2.Is it a eubacteria or archaebacteria?

An E.coli is an eubacteria

3.How can you get it?

E. coli can be passed from person to person, but serious E. coli infection is more often linked to food containing the bacteria. The person eats the contaminated food and gets sick.

:undercooked ground beef (used for hamburgers)
:vegetables grown in cow manure or washed in contaminated water
:fruit juice that isn't pasteurized (pasteurization is a process that uses heat to kill germs)

4.What are the symptoms?

-some of the symptoms are

:bad stomach cramps and belly pain
:vomiting
:diarrhea, sometimes with blood in it

5.How is it diagnosed?

If someone has symptoms of E. coli poisoning, the doctor will run some blood tests and take a sample of the person's stool (poop). The blood and stool can be checked to see if a harmful strain of E. coli is present. Even though diarrhea is one of the main symptoms, the person shouldn't take anti-diarrhea medicines because they can slow down recovery time.

6.How is it treated?

Some people recover at home, while others need to be in the hospital. In some cases, E. coli poisoning can cause life-threatening kidney problems.

7.How can you keep from getting E.coli infection?

People in charge of preventing E. coli infection by serving well-cooked meat, cleaning countertops when preparing meats, and being aware of any recalls affecting contaminated vegetables or other products.