08-07-2011, 12:05 PM
First up, I wish you a Speedy recovery and good health!
Not that i'm a big fan of E. coli, but it is important to remember that only very particular strains of E. Coli are dangerous, and that most others are harmless, or even beneficial (some can save lives). In particular, E. coli O157:H7, which is the enterohemorrhagic strain responsible for the the food poisoning you occasionally hear about on the nightly news.
Russ probably has a more benign strain, which probably just grew out of control. E.coli is literally everywhere. they prefer your colon, but they can be found on anything everywhere even after you nuke it with antibacterial soap if you look. For a lab project, we had to culture cells in a generic lab bench environment (not a "clean" area that is supposed to be free of bacteria). E. coli was so prolific that as soon as it got in, it out competed the animal cells we were culturing for food, and they changed the pH to better suit their needs (killing off our animal cells). however, this is an extreme case since these were just generic caterpillar cells in a flask, your body would normally absolutely devastate any invading E.coli out side of your intestinal tract (where they belong and are beneficial). only in unusual cases do they have a snowball's chance.
These aren't super dangerous, but catheters are classic spots where they can grow if improperly installed (and it is difficult to place them).
One thing that i'm supportive of is using viruses to kill bacteria. Viruses are not living things, rather they are particles that hijack cells to reproduce. they are VERY particular about what cells they infect. For example, in the lab we use T4 Bacteriophages to transfect (genetically modify) E. Coli. They only attack E.coli, and in our case, they are usually modified to deliver a gene.
However, a Wild-type Virus that jug kills the E. Coli would be fantastic. Since they don't attack any other kind of cell, i don't see why we don't just give people the virus as an anti-biotic. Unfortuneately, people are unfamiliar and scared of this sort of technology, but the fear is base out of lack of information.
until then, make sure all your food is cooked well. E.coli and heat don't go together once you go past a few hundred degrees!
Viruses (green) killing an E.coli bacteria
![[Image: M0900071-Coloured_SEM_of_T_bacteriophage...li-SPL.jpg]](http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/249796/large/M0900071-Coloured_SEM_of_T_bacteriophages_attacking_E.coli-SPL.jpg)
cn nutbar Wrote:Hello Russ---hope you're feeling better.That E-coli is nasty---some of our local hospitals have been having major issues with this illness lately
Not that i'm a big fan of E. coli, but it is important to remember that only very particular strains of E. Coli are dangerous, and that most others are harmless, or even beneficial (some can save lives). In particular, E. coli O157:H7, which is the enterohemorrhagic strain responsible for the the food poisoning you occasionally hear about on the nightly news.
Russ probably has a more benign strain, which probably just grew out of control. E.coli is literally everywhere. they prefer your colon, but they can be found on anything everywhere even after you nuke it with antibacterial soap if you look. For a lab project, we had to culture cells in a generic lab bench environment (not a "clean" area that is supposed to be free of bacteria). E. coli was so prolific that as soon as it got in, it out competed the animal cells we were culturing for food, and they changed the pH to better suit their needs (killing off our animal cells). however, this is an extreme case since these were just generic caterpillar cells in a flask, your body would normally absolutely devastate any invading E.coli out side of your intestinal tract (where they belong and are beneficial). only in unusual cases do they have a snowball's chance.
These aren't super dangerous, but catheters are classic spots where they can grow if improperly installed (and it is difficult to place them).
One thing that i'm supportive of is using viruses to kill bacteria. Viruses are not living things, rather they are particles that hijack cells to reproduce. they are VERY particular about what cells they infect. For example, in the lab we use T4 Bacteriophages to transfect (genetically modify) E. Coli. They only attack E.coli, and in our case, they are usually modified to deliver a gene.
However, a Wild-type Virus that jug kills the E. Coli would be fantastic. Since they don't attack any other kind of cell, i don't see why we don't just give people the virus as an anti-biotic. Unfortuneately, people are unfamiliar and scared of this sort of technology, but the fear is base out of lack of information.
until then, make sure all your food is cooked well. E.coli and heat don't go together once you go past a few hundred degrees!
Viruses (green) killing an E.coli bacteria
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.
![[Image: logosmall.png]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202013/logosmall.png)