What is E. coli?
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium commonly found in natural bodies of water. Some strains of E. coli, such as E. coli 0157:H7, are associated with potentially deadly food poisoning. But the strain of E. coli being tested for at coastal beaches in itself poses a low probability of making swimmers ill. Instead, the bacteria serve as an indicator of the possible presence of other health risks in the water, such as bacteria, viruses, and other organisms. All warm-blooded animals have E. coli in their feces, which means that if high levels of E. coli are found in beach water there is a high chance of fecal matter being in the water. For more information, check out the UW-Milwaukee Water Institute at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/GLWI/ecoli/.
E coli, technically called escherichia coli is a food-borne illness that is cropping up even more in today’s world than in recent years. It should be a concern to anyone who has a child, since this infection is more potent in young children and/or the elderly. E coli is composed of hundreds of different strands of bacteria. Most strands are harmless although there are some that can be toxic and cause severe illness when consumed by humans.
