E. Coli and sickness

[Ken Baker]

>>Hi. I'm a grade 12 biology student.  I am wondering about the effects of E.
>>Coli bacteria injested through uncooked meat. Recently a young child died and
>>tens of others have became ill in Washington State after eating uncooked
>>hamburgers.  The news attributed the illness to E. Coli, but my biology text
>>says that E.Coli is a harmless bacteria found in the colon.  Does this have
>>something to do with the high pH in the colon as apposed to the low pH in the
>>stomach?
>>
>>Thanks, Shannon
>
>E. coli is indeed an organism which is part of the normal bacterial
>flora of the human gut, though in very low numbers compared to other
                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>bacteria.  The outbreak that is in the news is due to ingestion of a
 ^^^^^^^^
>strain that is found in cattle gut and produces a toxin like the one

Sorry, not true. E.coli is far and away the most common bacteria in the
human gut.


Cheers,


Ken.