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Escherichia Coli infection

Escherichia coli is commonly responsible for urinary tract infections, bacteraemia, neonatal meningitis and peritoneal and biliary infections.

Four main categories of E. Coli produce diarrhea in humans:

1. Enteropathogenic (childhood diarrhea): Primarily affects children less than 2 years of age. This is caused by the bacteria attaching itself to the cells of the intestines and causing destruction of the cells and diarrhea as a result.
2. Enterotoxigenic (cholera): Produces a toxin mediated diarrhea that is indistinguishable from severe cholera, traveler's diarrhea and maybe childhood diarrhea.
3. Enterohemorrhagic: produces a shigella like toxin that causes bloody diarrhea and colitis.
4. Enteroinvasive (bacillary dysentery): Produces a disease similar to that produced by Shigella organisms.

E. Coli is the leading cause of traveler's diarrhea.

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Treatment

Management may require fluid and electrolyte correction. Severe infections usually respond to antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin or gentamicin or tobramycin.

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