E. Coli Essay Example

E. coli, a disease that can be harmless or one that could potentially lead to kidney failure. E. coli has over 700 strains. There are ones that could produce symptoms such as mild diarrhea, or ones that could eventually cause kidney damage. Insufficient precautions are taken to prevent the spreading of E. coli. There are not many steps taken to ensure that the food or water that is consumed is not contaminated with E. coli, which is the reason for E. coli’s unstoppable spread.

First of all, what is E. coli? Due to E. coli’s several varieties of strains, it can make it difficult to identify which strain is being talked about, but E. coli generally is very simple to explain. E. coli is a bacterium that can be formed inside spoiled food or water that is consumed. These contaminated victuals can infect any part of the body with E. coli, especially the intestines. E. coli’s symptoms usually include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms can differ depending on where E. coli is located inside the body. The severity of E. coli can be based on the strain that the body is infected with. These strains can vary and affect every organ differently. The most critical strain is the O157:H7 strain, which causes severe intestinal infections which can go as far as leading to death. To understand E. coli, it is important to know where it comes from and where it can be located in the body. Another essential piece of information about E. coli is how the disease affects the body. 

Secondly, how does E. coli affect the body? E. coli can look like a harmless disease but it contains the potential to be life-threatening. Some strains of E. coli can produce a toxin, which is known as the Shiga Toxin, and this toxin is a poisonous substance that damages the lining of the intestines. The consequences of this can include diarrhea, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, and much more. Some more severe strains of E. coli can even cause kidney failure. E. coli damages blood vessels for the kidney, which causes the body to block up the damaged vessels as a defense mechanism. This backfires due to the kidney not receiving its normal blood flow, which leads to kidney failure or even death. Urinary tract infections can also be one of the consequences of E. coli. Sometimes, E. coli can be located in the anus and can infect the urethra, causing bladder disruptions. These disruptions can include pain whilst urinating, having to urinate a lot more than usual, urine that has a strong smell, and many more. These are some of the many severe repercussions of E. coli, which show how badly E. coli can affect the human body. 

Finally, how can E. coli be treated? Although E. coli doesn’t currently have a definite cure, it has several ways to slow down the infection. When it comes to the more harsh strains of E. coli, antibiotics aren’t very effective and often backfire, causing the infection to be even more fierce. One antibiotic that is used for the more mild symptoms of E. coli is Ciprofloxacin, which is usually used to stop bacterial replication. The ciprofloxacin inserts cell topoisomerase, which prevents the cell from twisting itself by breaking it up and rejoining it together, which wipes the DNA from any bacteria. If E. coli causes the kidneys to stop functioning properly, Hemodialysis, a treatment that filters blood and waste in the body, which is usually the kidney’s job. This prevents toxins and nutrients from mixing and prevents the urinating of blood. To treat kidney and urinary tract infections, it is best to use Levofloxacin due to it being a very strong antibiotic. It functions just like Ciprofloxacin; it kills bacteria by untangling the cell and cleansing it from any bacteria. All of those treatments are some of the few advanced treatments that can assist against the spreading of E. coli.

Overall, even with E. coli’s easy spreading and its insufficient amount of effective antibiotics, there aren’t many precautions taken toward stopping the spread of E. coli. With all of this information, it presents how E. coli works, how it affects the human body, and how to prevent its spread and aggravation of it. For now, there is no definite cure for E. coli, but as long as the body remains healthy and clean, perhaps this disease won’t affect the body as much as it really could. 

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