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E.coli known as Escherichia coli resides in the small intestine of almost all warm-blooded animals. It stores genetic information and helps in certain intestinal functions. It belongs to the class of Gammaproteobacteria of domain eukarya. It has no nucleus and therefore it doesn’t belong to the prokaryotes or eukaryotes. It belongs to kingdom monera.
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Key Takeaways: E.coli, Transmission mediums, bacteria, diarrhoea, infection, digestive system, gram negetive bacteria, Food poisoning, Warm-blooded organisms, Intestines
What is E.coli?
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E.coli is a bacteria that is present in the intestines of warm-blooded organisms. It is a rod-shaped, gram-negative bacteria. Although it helps in keeping the human digestive tract healthy, some variations of this bacteria when ingested can cause food poisoning and other digestive problems.
E.Coli
It also causes urinary tract infections which leads to severe health complications. Multiple strains of E.coli causes diarrhoea and food poisoning. In worst-case scenarios, it might also result in kidney failure.
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E.coli symptoms
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Some of the symptoms caused due to the bacterial infection of E.coli are,
- Diarrhoea
- Urinary Infections
- Pain while urination
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pains
- Sudden rise in body temperature
- Gastro vascular infections
- Kidney failures
E.coli Symptoms
These bacteria develop symptoms that last for over a week, if not properly treated there will be high blood loss through stools which is termed as Hemorrhagic diarrhoea.
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E.coli Transmission Medium
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The various modes of transmission of E Coli bacteria are as follows.
Transmission from person to person
E.coli bacteria can last for 1.5 hours to 16 months. The main spread from one person to another is through physical contact. It is important to wash your hands after going to the bathroom. If food is touched or consumed with dirty hands, there is a high risk of infection and transmission.
Physical contact would lead to transmission of infection
Especially in public areas such as schools, restaurants and old-age homes, it is important to take precautions when serving food. Proper hygiene is to be followed. Failing to do so might result in widespread infection.
Transmission through food
E.coli bacteria are also present in the intestines of many farm animals. Therefore, unpasteurized milk and dairy products, undercooked meat, raw egg etc, have high chances of E.coli infestation in them. If directly consumed, without properly cooked, this will affect the digestive system followed by mild diarrhoea.
E.coli in food
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Treatment for E.Coli
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The following are the treatment methods to combat E.coli infections.
Fluids
As the primary effects of E.coli include diarrhoea, to avoid dehydration, it is essential to drink plenty of fluids. Rehydration solutions containing electrolytes and a lot of rest will heal the body from this bacteria. Along with this, precautions are to be taken while eating food. Food must be prepared in a hygienic manner. Hands must be washed and cleaned before consuming food.
Fluid Foods
Antibiotics
Septra DS, Bactrim, and ciprofloxacin are the commonly used antibiotics for this infection. These antibiotics should be used only after proper medical consultation and recommendations from doctors. E.coli infection can be treated at home but for high fever and worst-case scenarios, it is advised to visit the hospital.
Antibiotics
Natural methods
Use of Garlic or a small bite of garlic dipped in salt has been proven effective against all kinds of bacteria including E.Coli. For almost all digestive diseases Garlic is a natural remedy.
Garlic solves digestive problems
Things to Remember
- E.coli is a rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria that is found in the gut of warm-blooded animals.
- E.coli spreads through the stools of infected animals and direct contact with these has adverse effects.
- In most cases, these Bacteria have mild effects but when left untreated, it develops certain mutations which affects a lot.
- Septra DS, Bactrim, and ciprofloxacin are the commonly used antibiotics for E.coli infection.
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Sample Questions
Ques. How is e.coli useful? (2 marks)
Ans. Though E.coli is a bacteria that causes food poisoning, pneumonia, and other infections it plays a vital role in absorbing nutrients. Residing in intestinal cells, E.coli helps by producing a component that absorbs iron and other useful fluids. It also plays a major role in detecting the genetic information of cells.
Ques. What are the safety measures to be taken to avoid E.Coli? (2 marks)
Ans. Healthy and hygienic habits such as washing hands before eating anything, taking home-cooked food, avoiding raw or undercooked meat, raw milk, and using fresh dairy products instead of stored can avoid this E.Coli infection. When you are affected, drink lots of water for rehydration of the body and consult a doctor if you have a fever followed by other symptoms.
Ques. Explain the use of E.Coli for Industrial Purposes? (2 marks)
Ans. In Industrial purposes, E.Coli is used for the production of proteins at a large scale. It is used in the production of glycolate proteins. E.coli variations are bound for protein folding mechanisms and other bio-process purposes. It is used for the recombination of pharmaceuticals. Several mutations in this bacteria can help to meet biomedical needs.
Ques. Explain the structure of E.coli and what it consumes? (2 marks)
Ans. It is a rod-shaped bacteria that is 0.5 to 1 millimetres long. It is arranged singly or in pairs. Its outer part consists of longer hair flagella which helps them to swim. E.coli gets the energy from organic compounds and as our bodies are excellent sources of nutrients they grow stronger inside our bodies. So early treatment is essential for this.
Ques. Which vitamins are produced by E.coli? (2 marks)
Ans. E.coli resides in the intestines and helps in the absorption of nutrients. They produce vitamins such as vitamin K and B-complex vitamins. It helps its anaerobic neighbours by consuming excess oxygen in the intestines. It is widely useful in genetics to detect proteins and store DNA sequences of other organisms and test the protein functions of organisms. Mostly these vitamins are helpful for genetic tasks.
Ques. How does E.coli cause kidney failures? (2 marks)
Ans. HUS is a strain of E.Coli that affects the red blood cells. It affects the filtering capacity of the kidneys and damages them. It has to be properly treated in the first stage itself or it might get adverse.
Ques. Explain various types of bacteria. (3 marks)
Ans. Bacteria are classified on the basis of their shapes into the following categories:
- Rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli):
These are aerobic rod-shaped, spore-producing bacteria. They are often occurring in chain-like formations, and they are found primarily in soil. e.g., Lactobacillus, E.coli - Spherical-shaped bacteria (cocci):
They are spherical or nearly spherical bacteria. e.g., Streptococcus. - Curved-shaped bacteria (vibrios):
They are curved-shaped bacteria. e.g., Vibrio. - Spiral-shaped bacteria (spirilla):
They are flagellated, aerobic bacteria, having a spirally twisted rod-like form; e.g., Treponema.
Ques. Mention any three ways through which pathogens are transmitted. (3 marks)
Ans. Three ways because of which pathogens are transmitted are as follows:
- When a person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets containing a number of disease-causing microorganisms come out of the mouth and are released into the air. They are transmitted to a healthy person while breathing.
- By making direct contact with an infected person, pathogens are transferred to a healthy person.
- Carriers of pathogens also help in their transmission. For instance, when a fly sits on animal excreta or garbage, harmful disease-causing microbes stick to its legs. And when this fly sits on the food items, pathogens get transferred to them. These contaminated food items cause serious diseases when it is eaten by a healthy person.
Ques. Explain why antibiotics do not work against flu or any infection caused by viruses. (2 marks)
Ans. Viruses cannot be killed by using antibiotics as their cell pathways are different from that of bacteria. It means taking antibiotics to get rid of flu or any other viral infection is useless, because it does not reduce the strength of the virus, nor does it reduce the duration of the infection. But, however, antibiotics will work if we get attacks of viral infection and bacterial disease at the same time. Even then, it will cure bacterial disease only but not the viral infection.
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