E coli

E coli - short for escherischa coli - is the name given to a family of bacteria, a number of which can cause diarrhoeal disease by a number of different mechanisms. The most serious of these is E coli 157 which is caught from cattle, either by contact with their droppings or in undercooked meat. It can be spread from person to person. It causes diarrhoea both by attaching to the cells of the intestine and by producing a toxin. It causes profuse bloody diarrhoea, and in some people haemolytic uraemic syndrome (see the blood and circulation in the chest cavity section) which may prove fatal.
 
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