E. coli Is Everywhere Right Now—What Is It & How Do You Know If You Have It?

If you feel like there's been a lot of food recalls and contamination outbreaks lately, you’re right. From harmful bacteria to yeast overgrowth to heavy metals, we’ve reported on many of them. And now there’s another E. coli outbreak. As of right now, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have a lot of information on it, but here’s what we know so far.

What Is E. coli?

Short for Escherichia coli, E. coli is a type of bacteria. According to the FDA, E. coli is often innocuous. You might even have some living in your gut. But there are different strains of E. coli, and some can be potentially dangerous. This recall involves one of those types. Referred to as E. coli O157:H7 or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), this strain of E. coli can be particularly dangerous and even life-threatening. The primary sources of STEC outbreaks are raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk and cheeses, and contaminated vegetables and sprouts.

What Do We Currently Know About This Outbreak?

In short, we don’t know a whole lot about this particular outbreak. We know there have been 25 reported cases of illness so far. Some of the illnesses are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which then passes the numbers on to the FDA with weekly updates. And some are reported directly to the FDA, so the number is constantly changing during an active outbreak investigation.

We also know this investigation is ongoing and that the FDA has initiated traceback—meaning investigating where the E. coli is coming from. This also means that we don’t yet know what foods are causing this outbreak. The FDA also has not yet released any geographic information regarding where the outbreak is taking place.  

How to Prevent E. coli Infections at Home

While it can be scary, there are things you can do to cut down on your risk of E. coli exposure and prevent foodborne illness. Here are a few things the FDA and CDC recommend.

• Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw foods. This includes vegetables and meat.
• Clean the inside of your refrigerator, cutting boards and countertops that potentially contaminated food has touched with warm, soapy water. Then sanitize with a bleach solution (1 tablespoon bleach to 1 gallon of water) and dry the surfaces with clean paper towels. Wash your hands after cleaning.
• Immediately clean up and sanitize any spills in your refrigerator—like if a ground beef package leaks—whether you know it potentially contains E. coli or not. 
• If you have pets and you find there is an active investigation into their pet food or a recall on it, immediately clean their dishes and throw out the remaining food. Children, the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system should avoid pet dishes, their food and the animals that may have eaten potentially infected food. Get different food for your pets if there is a recall or investigation into the food they normally eat.
• If you camp, hike or travel abroad, make sure the water you’re drinking is safe. For traveling, your best bet is to stick with bottled water as long as you know the source of the bottled water is safe. You could also disinfect and/or filter the water. 
• Know the bacteria levels in the water you’re swimming in. This is usually disclosed by the state’s environmental services, which usually has a website with this information.
• Stick with pasteurized dairy and juice. The pasteurizing process kills any E. coli bacteria in the products. 
• Thoroughly cook your meats, especially ground meat. E. coli lives on the surface of the meat, so when it’s ground up, it gets distributed throughout the meat. If the meat is not ground up, the cooking process will kill any bacteria on the outside of it.

What Are the Symptoms of an E. coli Infection?

If you or a family member experience symptoms of foodborne illness or adverse events related to food—including an allergic reaction—it’s important to report it. In any of these situations, you would contact the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and submit an inquiry or report a complaint.

According to the CDC, symptoms of an E. coli infection can include:

• Diarrhea that may be bloody or very watery
• Stomach cramps that may be severe
• Vomiting
• Low-grade fever

The CDC recommends seeing your health care practitioner if the vomiting or diarrhea lasts more than two days, if there is blood in the diarrhea or urine, if the fever goes above 102°F, or if there are signs of dehydration.

The Bottom Line

While many types of E. coli are harmless, the type currently infecting people is making them sick. Since we don’t yet know what products are causing it or what part of the country they’re in, it’s important to take safety precautions. Wash your hands before and after handling food, thoroughly cook your meats, wash your vegetables and cook them when possible, and stick with pasteurized dairy products and juices. If you do get sick and suspect it’s something you ate, submit a complaint to the FDA.