Escherichia coli O157

A verocytotoxin-producing serogroup belonging to the O subfamily of Escherichia coli which has been shown to cause severe food-borne disease.

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Escherichia coli O157-H7

Food poisoning

A strain from this serogroup, serotype H7, which produces Shiga toxins, has been linked to human food poisoning disease outbreaks resulting from contamination of foods by E. coli 0157 from bovine origin.

Shiga toxin type 2

Other names

Escherichia coli O157:H7

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) vary but may include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting.
• Some people may have a low grade fever
• Most people get better within 5 to 7 days.
• Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening.

Escherichia coli flagella

Onset of symptoms

• Most people with a STEC infection start feeling sick 3 to 4 days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria.
• However, illnesses can start anywhere from 1 to 10 days after exposure.

When to contact healthcare provider

Contact your healthcare provider if you have diarrhea that lasts for more than 3 days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102˚F, blood in the stool, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and you pass very little urine.

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)

• About 5 to 10% of people who are diagnosed with STEC infection develop a potentially life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
• HUS develops about 7 days after symptoms first appear, when diarrhea is improving.
• Clues that someone is developing HUS include decreased frequency of urination, feeling very tired, and losing pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids.
• People with HUS should be hospitalized because their kidneys may stop working and they may develop other serious problems.
• Most people with HUS recover within a few weeks, but some suffer permanent damage or die.