how is e.coli transmitted ?
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Jennifer Wheeler
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Answer ( 1 )
The reservoir of E. coli includes both humans and animals.
The source of the E. coli that causes urinary tract infections is the patient’s own colonic flora that colonizes the urogenital area. The source of the E. coli that causes neonatal meningitis is the mother’s birth canal; the infection is
acquired during birth. In contrast, the E. coli that causes
traveler’s diarrhea is acquired by ingestion of food or water contaminated with human feces. Note that the main reser-
voir of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157 is cattle and the
organism is acquired in undercooked beef, for example, hamburgers.
Escherichia coli has several clearly identified components that contribute to its ability to cause disease: pili, a
capsule, endotoxin, and three exotoxins (enterotoxins), two
that cause watery diarrhea and one that causes bloody diarrhea and hemolytic–uremic syndrome