A04: Other bacterial intestinal infections

A04.3: Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection

The bacteria are called Escherichia coli. Bacteria can be found in contaminated foods for instance. If you eat these foods, you can be infected with the bacteria. Food can become infected, for example, by excretions from people and animals.

An intestinal inflammation can cause various symptoms. Diarrhea is common. The diarrhea can be watery, mucous and sometimes even bloody. Nausea and abdominal pain are other common symptoms. You can feel very feeble. Sometimes you may also catch a fever. The kidneys may also be damaged by the bacteria. This may cause the kidneys to stop working. The blood may also stop clotting properly. This can result in you bleeding for a longer time than normal. The bacteria may also cause your blood pigment to not be red enough. You may then feel very tired or have breathing difficulties.