Escherichia commonly abbreviated E. coli; is a rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. co strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls. The harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2, and by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine.

E. co cells are a major component of feces, and fecal-oral transmission is the major route through which pathogenic strains of the bacterium cause disease. Cells are able to survive outside the body for a limited amount of time, which makes them ideal indicator organisms to test environmental samples for fecal contamination. The bacterium can also be grown easily and inexpensively in a laboratory setting, and has been intensively investigated for over 60 years. E. co is the most widely studied prokaryotic model organism, and an important species in the fields of biotechnology and microbiology, where it has served as the host organism for the majority of work with recombinant DNA.

A few particularly nasty strains, such as E. coO157:H7, can cause severe, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, followed by serious organ system damage such as kidney failure.
You may be exposed to E. cofrom contaminated water or food �� especially raw vegetables and undercooked ground beef. Healthy adults usually recover from infection with E. coO157:H7 within a week, but young children and older adults can develop a life-threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
E. co was discovered by German peadiatrician and bacteriologist Theodor Escherich in 1885, and is now classified as part of the Enterobacteriaceae family of gamma-proteobacteria.

Symptoms can start right away (rarely) and mostly about 7 days after you are infected with the germ. The first sign is severe abdominal cramps that start suddenly. After a few hours, watery diarrhea starts. The diarrhea causes your body to lose fluids and electrolytes (dehydration). This makes you feel sick and tired. The watery diarrhea lasts for about a day. Then the diarrhea changes to bright red bloody stools. The infection makes sores in your intestines, so the stools become bloody. Bloody diarrhea lasts for 2 to 5 days. You might have 10 or more bowel movements a day. Some people say their stools are "all blood and no stool."

You may have a mild fever or no fever. You may also have nausea or vomiting. If you have any of these symptoms -- watery, bloody diarrhea, cramps, fever, nausea or vomiting -- try to get to your doctor right away.

Are there any complications from E. coli infection?

The most common complication is called hemolytic uremic syndrome. People with this problem get hemolytic anemia (which is a low red blood cell count), thrombocytopenia (which is a low platelet count) and renal failure (which is kidney damage).
Hemolytic uremic syndrome is more common in children. It can cause acute renal failure in children. This problem starts about 5 to 10 days after the diarrhea starts. People with this problem must go to a hospital for medical care.

Causes
(Mayo Clinic)

Among the many strains of E. co, only a few trigger diarrhea. One group of E. co�� which includes O157:H7 �� produces a powerful toxin that damages the lining of the small intestine, which can cause bloody diarrhea. You develop an E. coli infection when you accidentally ingest the bacteria. Potential sources of exposure include contaminated food or water, and person-to-person contact.

Contaminated food Ground beef
When cattle are slaughtered and processed, E. cobacteria in their intestines can get on the meat. Ground beef combines meat from many different animals, increasing the risk of contamination. Contaminated ground beef often has bacteria spread throughout the mixture �� not just on the surfaces (such as on a steak), where cooking is more likely to destroy bacteria.

Unpasteurized milk
E. cobacteria on a cow's udder or on milking equipment can get into raw milk.

Fresh produce.
Runoff from cattle farms can contaminate fields where fresh produce is grown.
Vegetables such as spinach and lettuce are particularly vulnerable to this type of contamination.

Contaminated water
Human and animal feces may pollute ground and surface water, including streams, rivers, lakes and water used to irrigate crops. Drinking or inadvertently swallowing untreated water from lakes and streams can cause E. coinfection.

Although public water systems use chlorine, ultraviolet light or ozone to kill E. co, some outbreaks have been linked to contaminated municipal water supplies. Private wells are a greater cause for concern. Some people have been infected after swimming in pools or lakes contaminated with feces.

Personal contact
E. cobacteria can easily travel from person to person, especially when infected adults and children don't wash their hands properly. Family members of young children with E. coinfection are especially likely to acquire it themselves.

Restaurant workers who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom can transmit E. cobacteria to food. Outbreaks have also occurred among children visiting petting zoos and in animal barns at county fairs.

Prevention
(by Béatrice Duplantier-Rhea N.D.)

All fruits and vegetables, including those that are organically grown, could benefit from a thorough washing to remove soil, surface microbes, and some pesticides. Food safety experts admit that the chance of getting really sick from a salad or fruit cup is extremely tiny. However, they recommend that individuals with compromised immune systems and those taking care of small children, whose immune systems aren't fully developed, should thoroughly scrub all produce.

The Produce Marketing Association recommends the following:

At the store: trust your senses. Look for fresh-looking fruits and vegetables that are not bruised, shriveled, moldy, or slimy. Don��t buy anything that smells bad. Don��t buy packaged vegetables that look slimy. Buy only what you need. Keep meats separate from produce.

At home: Handle fresh fruits and vegetables carefully. Put produce away promptly, and keep it in the crisper. Remember to keep all cut fruits and vegetables covered in the refrigerator, and throw away produce you have kept too long. Wash all fruits and vegetables in clean drinking water before eating. Do not use detergent or bleach when washing fruits and vegetables. Store prepared fruit salads and other cut produce in the refrigerator until just before serving. Discard cut produce if it has been out of the refrigerator for four hours or more.

To protect yourself and your family one should consider having a few "key" products at home such as:
CellFood original
Imune Stimulator
Activated Charcoal

1. Soak all vegetables
Soak all vegetables in an organic soap for a few minutes and rinse with runing tap water (check label for the recommended usage).

Fruits and Vegetables: 1/2 tsp. per basin of cool water. Wash well, rinse thoroughly to remove sprays, waxes, and pesticides.

2. CellFood
(a cleanser, detoxifyer and immune system protector. Oxygen at the cellular level)

The USP Challenge Test is a well-known test showing the ability of a substance to retard the growth of tested pathogens, much like a preservative protects the contents of�a bottle. These results show that Cellfood destroyed all of the five pathogens tested,�and they did not return during the entire 28 day testing period.�

Description�
5 colony-forming pathogens were�Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans (B strain),�E. co,�Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and,�Staphylococcus�aureus.

Interpretation:�
The pathogen-retarding capability of the product examined is effective if:�
A) The concentration of viable bacteria is reduced to not more than 0.1% of the initial concentration by the 14th day;�
B) The concentration of viable yeasts and molds remains at or below the initial concentration during the first 14 days, and;
C) The concentration of each test microorganisms remains at or below these designated�levels during the remainder of the 28 day test period.�

3. Immune Stimulator
(Strengthen your immune system)

In our modern world, the immune system is often depleted because of poor nutrition, stress and exposure to toxins. A weakened immune system makes one more susceptible to infections, which are often treated with antibiotics.�Antibiotics kill friendly bacteria in the intestines and further deplete the immune system, making the person even more susceptible to contagious disease.

Cancer is another disease that results from a weakened immune system. The body forms cancer cells all the time, but normally they are destroyed by the immune system. Only when the immune system is depleted can the disease we call cancer take hold.

As its name implies, Immune Stimulator is a blend of natural substances that boost immune responses.�By increasing white blood cell count, and enhancing antibody and white blood cell activity, Immune Stimulator can enhance the body��s natural ability to destroy viruses, bacteria, fungus and even cancer cells. Immune Stimulator can be helpful for problems as simple as warding off a cold in the early stages or as difficult as dealing with serious infections such as pneumonia. It can even be helpful when dealing with serious immune disorders such as AIDS and cancer.

Here is a breakdown of the ingredients in this formula (Immune Stimulator).

Beta-glucan
Beta-glucan is 200 more times effective than echinacea as an immune system stimulant! It is a naturally derived polysaccharide that stimulates the immune system and strengthens resistance to infection by activating macrophages, T-cells, natural killer cells and cytokines. Macrophages devour invading pathogens of all kinds. The other important function of beta-glucan is cellular communication. It helps cells identify the enemy,� thus improving immune response. This decreases the time between the enemy's attack� and the immune system's response.

Arabinogalactan
This substance helps to increase friendly bacteria such as lactobacillus in the gastrointestinal tract and significantly decreases harmful bacteria like E. co and salmonella. It increases white blood cell production and motivates the macrophages to be big eaters� in doing their work of killing microorganisms.

Colostrum
Colostrum is the milk-like fluid produced in the first 24 to 48 hours after birth in mammalian mothers, (in this case, cows). It provides life-supporting immune and growth factors. Bovine colostrum is nearly identical to human colostrum and works just as well for humans. Colostrum has been used by Ayurvedic physicians in India for thousands of years.

Reported benefits from using colostrum include improvement in lower gastrointestinal disorders (like Crohn's disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome), asthma, allergies, heart disease and cancer. Colostrum helps enhance normal cell growth, tissue repair and healing from trauma. It increases beneficial bacteria in the digestive system which helps protect against intestinal infections and yeast overgrowth.

Cordyceps
This fungus (mushroom) from China has a powerful tonic effect on the body. It balances the body's energy and increases production of those all-important T-cells and B-cells. It also protects genes by helping to repair DNA. Studies show that cordyceps may even help the body to suppress tumor cells and slow them down. Cordyceps strengthens the lungs and kidneys.

Reishi and Maitake Mushrooms
These mushrooms help to activate macrophages. Reishi increases nature killer cell activity, restores normal T-cell function, and increases interferon production, and maitake has been used for centuries to prevent cancer. They have also been shown to help modulate the immune system (i.e., to bring it into balance), making them potentially beneficial for autoimmune disorders. They have antioxidant properties, help to lower blood pressure and inhibit platelet aggregation in the circulatory system (which causes blood clotting).

All three of these fungi, cordyceps, reishi and maitake, have potential benefits in immune diseases like cancer, AIDS, asthma, allergies, pneumonia and lowered resistance. Whole books have been written on the benefits of these medicinal mushrooms, alone.

Immune Stimulator can be taken at the first sign of a cold or infection to boost the immune system for faster recovery. Take 2 capsules every two hours, up to 10 capsules per day, with lots of water, until you start to feel better. Because beta-glucan is too large to be readily absorbed into the bloodstream, Immune Stimulator works best when taken on an empty stomach.

For dealing with more chronic ailments such as cancer, heart disease, AIDS, chronic gastrointestinal problems, etc. take 1 capsule two to three times daily between meals. One can also take two capsules on an empty stomach at bedtime.

Caution

Immune Stimulator may aggravate autoimmune disorders, although it does contain many ingredients that are beneficial for auto-immune conditions. If you have an autoimmune condition, start with 1 capsule per day and increase the dose slowly. Discontinue if an aggravation of symptoms occurs.

4. Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal has an amazing ability to "attract" and absorb.
This makes it ideal for removing poisons from the body.
It is approved by the FDA in place of ipecac for internal poisoning. The poisons adhere to the large surface area of the specially-processed, finely ground powder so that both are eliminated together.

Charcoal will actually absorb intestinal gas, giving relief from bloating and acting to remove the intestinal coating that prevents normal absorption and removal of gas via the blood and lungs.

It is also used internally for hangover, high cholesterol, food poisoning and to remove wastes from underactive kidneys or liver.
It is used externally for insect bites/stings and surface infections.

Don't use for more than a few days at a time; it absorbs nutrients too.