EHEC (abbreviation of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli) is a bacterium that causes life-threatening intestinal infections. Infection with the EHEC pathogen, which is often mistakenly called a virus (EHEC virus), is usually accompanied by bloody diarrhea (enterohemorrhagic colitis). Women, young children, and the elderly are particularly likely to become infected with the EHEC bacterium.
Symptoms of EHEC infection
The EHEC pathogen is highly infectious and is therefore counted by the WHO as one of the most dangerous germs. But how does an EHEC infection develop? Just a few microbes are enough to attack an organism and cause lasting damage. A toxin is produced that destroys intestinal and nerve cells and damages blood vessels. Symptoms of EHEC infection include:
- Watery, bloody diarrhea
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
If these EHEC symptoms are not treated, it comes in the further course of infection to anemia or kidney failure, which can be fatal. According to the Robert Koch Institute, between 900 and 1200 diseases are registered annually in Germany, but they are usually mild.
EHEC: incubation period and therapy.
The average incubation period of an EHEC infection is between two and ten days; on average, the first EHEC symptoms usually appear after three to four days. In EHEC diagnostics, the patient’s liquid stool is examined with a screening in the laboratory. The aim is to isolate the pathogen with a toxin detection. If the diagnosis reveals an EHEC infection, therapy with antibiotics can follow. However, this therapy is controversial because the drugs can also worsen the clinical picture.
In any case, it is important in EHEC therapy to compensate for the salt and fluid loss caused by diarrhea. In severe cases, this requires hospitalization, where patients must undergo dialysis treatment for blood washing. Blood transfusions and plasma exchange are also occasionally used for EHEC infections. Basically, however, the EHEC bacterium cannot be properly treated, so infection is best prevented by hygiene and caution.
HUS and EHEC
The highly aggressive bacterial strain O104:H4 caused EHEC infections to spread enormously rapidly. While about 1,000 EHEC infections are normally reported per year in Germany, between May 1 and June 15, 2011, there were already 3,244 illnesses and 36 fatalities. A disproportionate number of those affected developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which occurs in a particularly severe course of an EHEC infection.
HUS can lead to kidney failure and anemia, which can be life-threatening. It is still not clear how exactly these severe EHEC infections including HUS occurred. However, experts suspect that the pathogen was transmitted by eating raw sprouts.
Preventing EHEC bacteria
Naturally, EHEC bacteria occur in the intestines of farm animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, and occasionally in wild animals. Therefore, the EHEC bacteria is often transmitted when eating raw meat, fresh milk, or raw foods. Therefore, strict caution should be exercised in food preparation: always rinse cutting boards, knives, and other utensils thoroughly with hot water when cooking with meat, buy UHT milk instead of fresh milk, and wash raw vegetables well, especially if they have been fertilized with manure. As a preventive measure, all fresh food should be heated at 70 degrees for at least ten minutes to kill the EHEC pathogen.
In principle, the usual hygienic measures apply: Wash hands thoroughly with soap before preparing food, before eating and after going to the toilet, clean the kitchen and bathroom regularly, and keep as far away as possible when in contact with animals to avoid EHEC bacteria.
