Wednesday, December 2, 2015

What is E. coli ?

What is E. coli ?
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E. coli is a bacteria. In fact, it's a very common bacteria and
it's good for you, most of time. Your health depends on it. But it's
not as simple as you might think. Not all E. coli is bad, and having E.
coli is a necessary part of life. Sounds confusing, but it's really
rather simple.
Everyone has E. coli. That is a fact. You have E. coli, and
lots of it. You can't live without E. coli. Although you never think of
E. coli, it is with you everywhere you go.The E stands for Escherichia,
the first name, or genus. Coli is the species. There are other species
of Escherichia, but the most common one is coli.

Where are E. coli?

E. coli live in your digestive tract. They are part of the vast
system of bacteria that inhabit your digestive tract. You have 100
trillion bacteria in there, and E. coli make up several hundred thousand
of those bacteria.

Is E. coli a probiotic?

Your good bacteria are often thought of as probiotics.
Probiotics taken as supplements usually only refer to other types of
bacteria, namely Lactobacillus (including acidophilus) and
Bifidobacteria. E. coli is a good bacteria, but it is not available as a
probiotic in the United States. However, it is available in Europe
under the brand name Mutaflor.

Why do most people think E. coli is bad?

There are two reasons that you think E. coli is bad. The first
is that when water is contaminated by sewage, the news reports that E.
coli was found in the water. The presence of E. coli in the water
demonstrates that the water has been contaminated. E. coli belongs in
the digestive tract, not in your water.The second reason that you think
that E. coli is bad is because there is a bad kind of E. coli. Like
other bad guys, this is the one that gets all of the press. This E. coli
is a specific strain of E. coli, called hemorrhagic E. coli, or
EH1574This type of E. coli is dangerous. It causes bloody diarrhea and
can kill children and older adults who do not have a strong immune
system. This type of E. coli is sometimes found in meat. If the meat is
not adequately cooked, then the E. coli will survive. When you eat that
meat, you can get sick from this strain of E. coli.

How do you treat bad E. coli?

Ironically, you cannot treat E. coli with antibiotics. In fact,
antibiotics may make an E. coli infection worse. The only treatment for
E. coli is to give the patient IV fluids to help prevent them from
getting dehydrated. Otherwise you must wait for your immune system to
take care of the E. coli. Probiotics would also likely be helpful. If
the patient is strong enough, then the E. coli infection will resolve
within a couple of weeks. Most E. coli are normal inhabitants of a
healthy digestive tract. But some E. coli go bad and join the other
team, wreaking havoc on the digestive tract. This confusing bacteria is a
complicated organism, but don't let the bad ones ruin you from
appreciating the good ones. For the most part, E. coli are your friends.



source  --   http://answers.com/article/1210837/what-is-e-coli- 

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