E. Coli

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a group of bacteria that normally lives in the gut (gastrointestinal/GI tract) of healthy people and animals. The type that lives in your GI tract usually doesn’t hurt you — it even helps you digest your food. But under certain circumstances, many strains (types) of E. coli can make you sick. Many of the strains that cause infection can adhere (stick) to your cells and release toxins.

What is an E. coli infection?

An E. coli infection is any illness you get from strains of E. coli bacteria. For instance, there are harmful strains of E. coli that cause watery diarrhea, stomach pain and other digestive symptoms (gastroenteritis) if you accidentally ingest them. These are sometimes called diarrheagenic E. coli, and they’re often what people mean when they talk about E. coli infections. But the E. coli that usually live in your gut can also get in places they’re not supposed to be (like your urinary tract). This causes an E. coli infection there.

Many strains of E. coli cause mild infections. But some strains, like those that produce Shiga toxin, can cause serious illness, including kidney damage.

Types of E. coli infection

Common types of E. coli infection include gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Other types of E. coli infections include:

• Bloodstream infections.
• Prostatitis (prostate infection).
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
• Gallbladder infection (cholecystitis).
• Wound infections.
• Pneumonia (rare).
• Meningitis (rare).

How common are E. coli infections?

There are about 265,000 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections each year in the U.S. STEC is the most common cause of E. coli outbreaks and serious illness from E. coli in the U.S.