What is the bug at the centre of the cases?
E. coli or Escherichia to give it its full name. E. coli is a common bug which is present everywhere in the environment. Mostly it helps people to stay healthy, but it can also cause illness as well. What has made the farm cases so concerning is the particular strain of E. coli at play. Lab tests have shown it is 0157 – the most serious type. Symptoms can range from mild diarrhoea to haemorrhagic colitis – a combination of severe abdominal cramps and blood in the stools. Most people will shake it off within a few days, but children and older people can be particularly hard hit. A small proportion may eventually develop serious kidney damage which requires dialysis treatment or a transplant. How have people been infected? This is still at the centre of an investigation by health officials. But there are three basic methods of infection – through contaminated food, touching animals or from the environment. Animals – and cattle in particular – carry this strain of E. coli in their gut. It
