How contagious is the EHEC?
Since the EHEC bacterium can survive for several weeks outside the carcass, a high risk of infection and special caution is required, especially in professions that have a lot of contact with cattle, goats or deer. Once the bacterium has entered your own body, it can usually only be excreted through your own stool. Special care should also be taken when consuming food that has been fertilized with the help of liquid animal excrement.
It is always important to ensure that they are thoroughly cleaned before consumption. In addition to direct transmission from animal to human or from human to human, the bacterium can also be transmitted through contaminated water. This can enter the body of the affected person by drinking or bathing. In general, the EHEC bacterium is highly infectious compared to other bacteria. Already 10 bacteria are sufficient to cause an infection.
Duration of EHEC infection
An EHEC infection can take on different proportions and therefore have a different course over time. In some cases, an EHEC-infected person may not feel any symptoms at all. As a rule, the incubation period, i.e. the time between infection with the bacterium and the first signs of infection, is between two and ten days.
After infection, the course of the disease takes on varying degrees of severity. Many affected people initially complain of watery diarrhea and severe nausea. Although this is extremely unpleasant, it also promotes healing in the same way.The diarrhea causes the bacteria to be eliminated from the body as quickly as possible, so that they cannot cause any further complications.
The diarrhoea can last from a few days to two weeks. If the symptoms persist for more than two weeks and other symptoms such as weakness, reduced urine output or a general bleeding tendency are also present, it can be assumed that the EHEC bacterium has also caused another clinical picture, the hemorrhagic-uremic syndrome. This syndrome can take on drastic proportions with no treatment or too slow treatment. In the worst case, lifelong damage and associated dialysis obligations can be caused. However, if the syndrome is detected and treated quickly, it should be cured within a few weeks.
