August 14, 2024
Posted by: OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers
E. Coli is a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness if it gets into your food or drink. While many people know about E. coli from hearing about food poisoning outbreaks, there are some things about this bacteria that you might not know.
Understanding these facts can help you protect yourself and your family from getting sick and help you know when it might be time to talk to an E. coli lawyer.
Escherichia coli, commonly called e. coli, is a naturally occurring bacteria found in the environment, food, and mammal’s intestines. It’s best known for causing diarrhea, but it can also lead to severe symptoms, some of which are life-threatening.
Most people think of ground beef and leafy greens like lettuce when they hear about E. coli, but did you know that this bacteria can also be found in other, less obvious foods?
For example, flour has been linked to E. coli outbreaks in the past. This is because flour is made from wheat, which can come into contact with animal waste during the growing or harvesting process. When flour is not cooked, like in raw cookie dough, the bacteria can still be alive and can make you sick.
Another surprising source of E. coli can be pre-packaged salads. Even though the greens are washed, they can still be contaminated during the packaging process. This is why it’s important to always wash your produce, even if the package says it’s pre-washed.
You might be careful about cooking your meat thoroughly, but E. coli can still spread in your kitchen if you’re not careful. This bacteria can spread from one food item to another if you use the same cutting board, knife, or even your hands without washing them between uses. This is called cross-contamination.
For example, if you cut raw chicken on a cutting board and then use the same board to chop vegetables without washing it, the bacteria from the chicken can get on the vegetables. If the vegetables are not cooked, the bacteria can make you sick.
That’s why washing your hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water after handling raw meat or eggs is crucial.
One of the biggest concerns with E. coli is that some strains of this bacteria are becoming antibiotic-resistant. This means that the usual medicines doctors use to treat infections might not work as well, or at all. When this happens, people who get sick with antibiotic-resistant E. coli can be sicker for longer and might need stronger, more expensive treatments.
This resistance happens when bacteria like E. coli are exposed to antibiotics often, which gives them a chance to adapt and become stronger.
It’s a good reminder that we should only use antibiotics when they are really needed, and that preventing infections in the first place is the best way to stay healthy.
E. coli infections can be dangerous for anyone, but they are especially risky for certain groups of people. Young children, elderly adults, and people with weakened immune systems, like those who are undergoing chemotherapy, are more likely to have severe complications if they get an E. coli infection.
For these vulnerable populations, what might be a mild illness for a healthy adult could turn into something much more serious. E. coli can lead to severe dehydration, kidney failure, and even death, especially in these at-risk groups.
That’s why it’s so essential to be extra careful with food safety if you or someone you love falls into one of these categories.
When people get sick from E. coli, it’s not always easy to figure out where the bacteria came from. This is because food often goes through many steps before it gets to your plate.
For example, a hamburger might start on a farm, go to a slaughterhouse, then to a processing plant, and finally to a grocery store before you cook it at home. At any one of these steps, the food could be contaminated with E. coli.
Because of this, tracing the source of an E. coli outbreak can be very complicated. Health officials have to do a lot of detective work, interviewing people who got sick and testing food samples, to figure out where the bacteria came from.
This is important because knowing the source of the bacteria can help stop the outbreak and prevent more people from getting sick.
Most people who get sick with E. coli recover within a week, but the effects can last much longer for some. A serious complication of E. coli is a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure.
Even if a person recovers from HUS, they may have long-term health problems like high blood pressure or chronic kidney disease.
These long-term effects are a reminder that E. coli is not just a short-term problem. People who have had severe E. coli infections may need ongoing medical care and might have to make changes to their lifestyle to manage their health.
If you or a loved one gets sick from E. coli, it’s possible to file a lawsuit if someone’s negligence led to your illness.
Here’s a brief overview of how to file an E. coli lawsuit process works:
E. coli is a serious bacteria that can cause major health problems, especially for certain groups of people.
Finding the right e. coli lawyer is crucial to getting the money you deserve for your suffering. The OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers understand how devastating a bout of food poisoning can be, and how complex these cases are. We’ve helped clients in similar situations, and we are ready to hear your story.
Call 888-828-7087 or fill out our online form to get started.
