E.Coli signs and symptoms
E.Coli(Escherichia coli) signifies a bacterium that resides in the digestive tract of human beings and animals. There are various types of E.coli and most of them are harmless. But some can cause serious illness and bloody diarrhea.One of the common type of E.Coli is O157:H7 which can cause kidney failure or severe anemia.Other can cause urinary tract infection too.
The person suffer from E.Coli infection when he/she comes in contact with the stools or feces of animals or humans. Food or water that has been contaminated by feces causes the infection.
The person get infected from the contaminated food. E.Coli gets into the meat during the processing period and if the meat is not cooked well then the risk of bacteria survival increases and infects you badly. Other foods such as dairy products, raw milk,raw fruits and vegetables if not cooked properly can cause serious illness because of the germ E.Coli found in infected animal feces.
The infected human and animal feces when gets into the lakes, ponds or water supplies infects the people using that contaminated water.E.Coli also spread from one person to other person when the infected person does not wash hands well after a bowel movement
Symptoms of E.Coli infection are:
- Bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Abdominal cramps and pain
The symptoms usually starts appearing after 3-4 days of infection. Some people hardly notice the symptoms and gets better in about a week without consulting the doctor.
If the symptoms do not go away on its own then you must consult your doctor. Diarrhea causes water lose in body which can cause dehydration.Hence you must drink water frequently.
In some cases E.coli causes serious problem effecting the kidneys and blood. For this,dialysis and blood transfusion can be done to filter the waste products from the body when the kidneys are not able to function properly.
“The information present here is for general purpose please consult your doctor before taking any medication/therapy”
