KEY POINTS
- Six kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea.
- Some of these E. coli also can cause other symptoms.
- People get infected with these E. coli in several ways
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) LT/ST
Symptoms and Causes
What are the symptoms of an E. coli infection?
Symptoms of E. coli gastroenteritis include:
- Diarrhea. This is often watery and sometimes bloody.
- Stomach pains and cramps.
- Loss of appetite.
- Low fever.
Watery diarrhea is usually the first symptom of an E. coli infection in your GI tract. You can also have different symptoms depending on where in your body you’re infected.
What are symptoms of E. coli in your urinary tract?
If E. coli infects parts of your urinary tract, you might have:
- Abdominal or pelvic pain.
- Pain or burning sensation when you pee.
- An urgent need to pee frequently.
- Cloudy, foul-smelling pee.
How soon do symptoms of an E. coli infection start?
You usually develop symptoms of an STEC infection within three to five days after drinking or eating foods contaminated with this E. coli bacteria. Other strains can make you sick within hours. Sometimes, symptoms start up to 10 days after exposure.
Overview
ETEC is the major enteric pathogen that account for the diarrhea that occurs in travelers and children in developing countries. ETEC infection is caused by ingestion of contaminated food and water, ETEC through the gastrointestinal tract, and eventually colonization in the small intestine.
Kinds of E. coli
E. coli that cause diarrhea
E. coli are a large group of bacteria (germs).
Most E. coli are harmless and are part of a healthy intestinal tract. These E. coli help digest food, produce vitamins, and protect us from harmful germs.
But some E. coli can make people sick, including six kinds that cause diarrhea. They are
- STEC: Shiga toxin-producing E. coli
- ETEC: Enterotoxigenic E. coli
- EPEC: Enteropathogenic E. coli
- EIEC: Enteroinvasive E. coli
- EAEC: Enteroaggregative E. coli
- DAEC: Diffusely adherent E. coli
Ways people get infected
People can get infected with these E. coli in several ways. These ways include
- Eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water
- Contact with animals, their poop, or their environment
- Contact with the poop of an infected person
Not all E. coli are alike
All six kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea. Some kinds can cause bloody diarrhea, watery diarrhea, or both.
Some of these E. coli can cause other symptoms, including stomach cramps, vomiting, and fever.
Other things that vary for these E. coli include
- Groups of people most affected
- Major sources of infection
- Where infection is more likely to happen
What are the symptoms of an E. coli infection?
Symptoms of E. coli gastroenteritis include:
- Diarrhea. This is often watery and sometimes bloody.
- Stomach pains and cramps.
- Loss of appetite.
- Low fever.
Watery diarrhea is usually the first symptom of an E. coli infection in your GI tract. You can also have different symptoms depending on where in your body you’re infected.
What are symptoms of E. coli in your urinary tract?
If E. coli infects parts of your urinary tract, you might have:
- Abdominal or pelvic pain.
- Pain or burning sensation when you pee.
- An urgent need to pee frequently.
- Cloudy, foul-smelling pee.
How soon do symptoms of an E. coli infection start?
You usually develop symptoms of an STEC infection within three to five days after drinking or eating foods contaminated with this E. coli bacteria. Other strains can make you sick within hours. Sometimes, symptoms start up to 10 days after exposure.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is E. coli diagnosed?
How your provider diagnoses E. coli depends on what your symptoms are. If you have diarrhea or other digestive symptoms, your provider will test a stool (poop) sample for E. coli. If you have other symptoms, they might test your urine (pee), blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
What tests will be done to check for E. coli?
Specific tests for E. coli include:
- Stool test.
- Urinalysis or urine culture.
- Blood culture.
- Spinal tap (lumbar puncture).
Management and Treatment
How are E. coli infections treated?
You often don’t need to treat E. coli infections that cause digestive symptoms. Healthcare providers specifically don’t treat STEC with antibiotics or antidiarrheal medicines. These medications can increase your risk of HUS if you have STEC. Instead, they’ll monitor your condition and give you fluids to prevent dehydration if needed.
But if you have another type of E. coli infection — like a UTI, meningitis or sepsis — or if your symptoms are severe, your provider will treat you with antibiotics.
Antibiotics for E. coli infections
Some antibiotics providers use to treat E. coli infections include:
Prevention
Can you prevent E. coli infections?
The most important thing you can do to protect against E. coli infections is to wash your hands. It’s particularly important to wash them thoroughly with warm water and soap:
- Before and after cooking and after handling raw meat or poultry.
- After using the restroom, changing diapers or contact with animals.
You can also reduce your risk of an E. coli infection by following safe food preparation procedures:
- Don’t drink unpasteurized milk or ciders.
- Rinse all raw fruits and vegetables under running water before eating them.
- Don’t defrost frozen meat unwrapped on the counter. Keep frozen meat in a separate plastic bag when thawing.
- Don’t rinse meat before cooking. Washing the meat could spread bacteria to nearby surfaces, utensils and other food.
- Use a plastic, silicone or ceramic cutting board to cut raw meat. Wooden cutting boards are harder to clean completely, leaving bacteria behind.
- Use different surfaces for prepping different types of food. Surfaces like cutting boards can spread bacteria. If you don’t have different cutting boards, wash surfaces thoroughly with soap and hot water after you’ve worked with raw meat and before putting another type of food (such as a raw vegetables) on it.
- Cook all meat to a safe temperature before eating. Don’t put cooked meat on a plate that had raw meat on it.
- Refrigerate leftovers right away.
