Re: What causes e coli and where does it come from? Same for botulism.

Subject: What causes E. coli and where does it come from? Same for botulism.

Escherichia coli is a bacterium. You can learn about bacteria in general here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria

E. coli is found in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals, including humans, and therefore also in sewage. There are different strains of E. coli, some of which are more dangerous for human health than others. One that has been in the news a lot is a strain called E. coli O157:H7, which is found normally in the guts or rumen of cattle and other animals. It can be transferred to food from the cattle feces, during slaughter or milking.

It can also be found on foods that have been contaminated with feces or sewage. E. coli O157:H7 can cause a severe disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome in children and elderly. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm

Botulism is a disease caused by botulinum toxin, a nerve toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum which can be found in the soil in spore form. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_botulinum

The CDC website says: “Foodborne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulism toxin. Wound botulism is caused by toxin produced from a wound infected with Clostridium botulinum. Infant botulism is caused by consuming the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which then grow in the intestines and release toxin. All forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies. Foodborne botulism can be especially dangerous because many people can be poisoned by eating a contaminated food.”

and

“Botulism can be prevented. Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn. However, outbreaks of botulism from more unusual sources such as chopped garlic in oil, chile peppers, tomatoes, improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, and home-canned or fermented fish. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods. Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated. Potatoes which have been baked while wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served or refrigerated. Because the botulism toxin is destroyed by high temperatures, persons who eat home-canned foods should consider boiling the food for 10 minutes before eating it to ensure safety. Instructions on safe home canning can be obtained from county extension services or from the US Department of Agriculture. Because honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum and this has been a source of infection for infants, children less than 12 months old should not be fed honey. Honey is safe for persons 1 year of age and older. Wound botulism can be prevented by promptly seeking medical care for infected wounds and by not using injectable street drugs.”

http://0-www.cdc.gov.mill1.sjlibrary.org/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm