Deadly E. associated with McDonald's Quarter Pounder. coli strains are a major cause of food poisoning

The strain of E. coli linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the United States.

On October 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that an outbreak of the bacterial infection had sickened at least 49 people in 10 states. One died.

Although many types of harmless E. coli, including O157:H7, which can cause six cases of diarrhea, according to federal health officials, can contaminate raw onions used in burgers.

Here's what you need to know about staying safe from E. coli.

What is E. coli?

Escherichia coli A type of bacteria that spreads in feces and can contaminate food, potentially causing serious infections.

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is the most common type in high-income countries, such as the United States. coli type associated with the McDonald's outbreak.

Although STEC infection most severely affects children younger than 5 and adults 65 and older, anyone can become infected.

“It's kind of dying,” said Prashant Singh, a food safety microbiologist at Florida State University.

Symptoms usually include bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain and vomiting, according to the CDC. In vulnerable groups, e. coli infection can cause serious kidney complications and death.

People can become infected after consuming contaminated food or water, or through contact with animal or infected human feces.

What are the symptoms of E. coli?

E. coli symptoms usually appear three to four days after ingesting the bacteria, but it can take up to 10 days.

Once inside the patient, E. coli gets stuck inside the gut and produces a toxin that kills the cells lining the gut. It causes inflammation of the intestines, resulting in watery diarrhea that turns bloody after one to three days. A low-grade fever is also a possible symptom.

Severe diarrhea and intestinal inflammation can cause dehydration and abdominal tenderness. In debilitated patients, severe infection can lead to death.

The O157:H7 strain can also cause a very dangerous complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes blood vessel damage, resulting in red blood cell destruction and kidney injury. Cells involved in blood clotting are also destroyed, leading to easy bruising. Symptoms of HUS range from blood in the urine and leg swelling to seizures and death.

Although it occurs mostly in children, anyone can develop HUS.

E. How does coli enter food?

Despite improvements in surveillance and technology to detect them, foodborne outbreaks can still be difficult to catch quickly, said Barbara Kowalczyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

This is because most people who are sick do not go to the doctor. And those who do, from the time of their pollution e. Coli-like pathogens can take days or weeks to be detected — especially because symptoms may not start immediately.

“The doctor may order a stool sample, they may wait a few more days to order the stool sample,” Kowalczyk said. “The lab tests it. It takes a day to get the test results back. Then if it's positive, they contact the health department, and then the health department contacts you and says, 'What did you eat two weeks ago?'

Still, manufacturers have done a lot to reduce contamination, he said, especially in foods like ground beef — something that's personal to Kowalczyk. His 2-year-old son, Kevin, was born in 2001. Collie died from complications after what his family believed was a contaminated hamburger.

“There are so many people who are working, how do we build a positive food safety culture in food companies so they don't cut corners, when there's so much pressure to cut corners?” she said

“Typically, E. coli is associated with livestock, but it can also be found in a variety of other fruit and vegetable products,” said Donald Schaffner, a distinguished professor, extension specialist and chairman of the food science department at Rutgers University. New Jersey. Schaffner previously served as a member of the McDonald's Food Safety Advisory Council.

While the O157:H7 strain is classically associated with ground beef in hamburgers, the bug typically resides in the intestines of animals such as cattle.

In the case of beef, the bacteria “can live in the intestines of the animal and then, during the slaughter operation, sometimes those intestines are accidentally cut and that can lead to pathogenic E. coli in the beef cuts, and then it goes through the grind and ends up in the ground beef. ,” Schaffner said.

If it's a contaminated vegetable, such as onions, “it could be that the onions are being grown in a field that's close to a cattle operation, and the E. coli comes out of the cattle operation. Or, maybe in that field, they compost the cattle manure. using,” Schaffner said.

One of the largest outbreaks caused by this strain was linked to spinach and traced back to fields in California, which were near a cattle ranch. That 2006 outbreak sickened 205 people and caused three deaths.

Fruits and vegetables can become contaminated if not cleaned properly. Or they may become contaminated later during processing.

For example, infected people who do not practice proper hand washing after using the bathroom can spread the bacteria through fecal matter on their hands. Similarly, after changing an infected child's diaper, fecal matter containing E. coli can spread through food.

Once contaminated food enters the kitchen, cross-contamination can occur if ingredients are mixed or mishandled.

Since E. coli is found in the intestines of cows, pasteurized dairy products can also carry the bacteria. Likewise, unpasteurized fruit juice can carry bugs if produced from contaminated produce.

There are other ways to become infected with E. coli outside of food. Untreated water can carry E. coli. Pool water can carry the bacteria if an infected person has recently swam in the pool.

E. coli can be spread by people through contact with their feces. People who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom can also pass the bacteria onto surfaces or directly to other people.

E. Can coli be washed away? How to avoid infection

Although washing fresh produce helps reduce the risk, it is not all E. Can't completely eradicate coli. This is because bacteria can hide in small cracks where water cannot reach. The only way to ensure food is safe from E. coli is to thoroughly heat it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which kills the bug.

Seventy percent of foodborne outbreaks or infections occur from eating out, not at home, Singh said, recommending that people rely on home cooking as a less likely source of infection because they can monitor cooking temperatures.

Also avoid pasteurized dairy foods and juices, as they can be tainted.

Good hygiene e. The mainstay of preventing the spread of coli. Proper hand washing for food preparation is very important to prevent bacterial infection.

A particularly dangerous element of STEC-type E. coli infection is that it cannot be treated with antibiotics, because if the bacteria bursts, more toxins can be released and symptoms are likely to worsen. Treatment focuses mostly on maintaining hydration to counter the effects of severe diarrhea associated with infection.

Overall, E. coli is a dangerous type of bacteria that should be taken seriously, especially by vulnerable groups. Proper precautions can help reduce the spread.

If you do become infected, it's important to seek medical attention quickly to avoid more serious complications.