How can I catch E. coli infection?

What is E. coli?
E. coli is short for Escherichia coli -- a bacteria (germ) that causes severe cramps and diarrhea. E. coli is a leading cause of bloody diarrhea. The symptoms are worse in children and older people, and especially in people who have another illness. E. coli infection is more common during the summer months and in northern states.

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How can I catch E. coli infection?
Most E. coli infections come from:

* Eating undercooked ground beef (the inside is pink)
* Drinking contaminated (impure) water
* Drinking unpasteurized (raw) milk
* Working with cattle

Healthy beef and dairy cattle may carry the E. coli germ in their intestines. The meat can get contaminated with the germ during the slaughtering process. When beef is ground up, the E. coli germs get mixed throughout the meat.

The most common way to get this infection is by eating contaminated food. You can be infected with the E. coli germ if you don't use a high temperature to cook your beef, or if you don't cook it long enough. When you eat undercooked beef, the germs go into your stomach and intestines.

The germ can also be passed from person to person in day care centers and nursing homes. If you have this infection and don't wash your hands well with soap after going to the bathroom, you can give the germ to other people when you touch things, especially food.

People who are infected with E. coli are very contagious. Children shouldn't go to a day care center until they have 2 negative stool cultures (proof that the infection is gone). Older people in nursing homes should stay in bed until 2 stool cultures are negative.

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What are the symptoms of E. coli infection?
Symptoms start 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.

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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.

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How is E. coli infection diagnosed?
The diagnosis is made by finding E. coli in a stool culture. If you have bloody diarrhea, see your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor will do a culture to find out if you have E. coli in your intestines. The culture has to be taken in the first 48 hours after the bloody diarrhea starts.

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How is the infection treated?
There is no special treatment, except drinking a lot of water and watching for complications. Don't take medicine to stop diarrhea unless your doctor tells you to. This medicine would keep your intestines from getting rid of the E. coli germ. If you are seriously dehydrated, you might need to go to the hospital to have fluids put into your veins with an IV.

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How can I keep from getting E. coli infection?
You can help prevent this infection by handling and cooking meat in a safe way. For your protection, follow these rules:

* Wash your hands carefully with soap before you start cooking.
* Cook ground beef until you see no pink anywhere.
* Don't taste small bites of raw ground beef while you're cooking.
* Don't put cooked hamburgers on a plate that had raw ground beef on it before.
* Cook all hamburgers to at least 155°F. A meat thermometer can help you test your hamburgers.
* Defrost meats in the refrigerator or the microwave. Don't let meat sit on the counter to defrost.
* Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods. Use hot water and soap to wash cutting boards and dishes if raw meat and poultry have touched them.
* Don't drink raw milk.
* Keep food refrigerated or frozen.
* Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.
* Refrigerate leftovers right away or throw them away.
* People with diarrhea should wash their hands carefully and often, using hot water and soap, and washing for at least 30 seconds. People who work in day care centers and homes for the elderly should wash their hands often, too.
* In restaurants, always order hamburgers that are cooked well done so that no pin

Brazilian Top model and film actress,Gisele Bündchen

Gisele Bundchen ironically embodies that of her native Brazilian heritage - the Amazon woman. Born on July 20, 1980, in the town of Horizontina, Brazil, she is one of today's top supermodels. In her youth she aspired to be a professional volleyball player, a sport whose athletes are noted for their height, but took classes to concentrate on bettering her posture for a future modeling career.

She entered numerous contests in her native land, consistently finishing in the top five, before moving on to runway modeling. She has been on the cover of virtually every magazine worldwide and has been the face of numerous designers' ad campaigns. Her credits include Christian Dior, Bulgari, Polo Jeans, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana; but she has become well known as one of the elite faces of intimate apparel giant Victoria's Secret.

Often going by just her first name, Gisele is one of the most in-demand supermodels. She is the antithesis of the "waifish" Kate Moss-era, and her curvaceous body has gained notice from Vogue magazine, which refers to her as the "return of the sexy model." She commands an average of $10,000 per hour of runway work. In addition to her more mainstream endorsements, Gisele is also the spokesmodel for many brands in her native Brazil.

Besides the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show she has little film and television work, save for a small role in the Jimmy Fallon/Queen Latifah comedy Taxi, and she has appeared on the usual circuit of talk shows. She is easily recognizable by her height, standing 5' 11" tall. Her measurements are 34-24-34, but a recent breast augmentation has put her at 36-24-35. She has five sisters and is currently dating actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The couple lives in Los Angeles.

Carelessly dubbed by one women's magazine in 1998 as "the model of the moment," Brazilian cover girl Gisele Bündchen makes that headline, in retrospect, look completely risible. In addition to gracing the covers and inner glossies of virtually every fashion magazine (and Victoria's Secret lingerie catalogue) in the West, this 5'10" firecracker -- like Cindy Crawford -- extended her career for many years, seemingly without end, outstripping the expectations of many in the process. Born into obscurity, Bündchen grew up in the town of Horizontina, Brazil, and reportedly never gave much, if any, thought to modeling; in fact, she harbored a passion for volleyball at an early age and foresaw herself becoming a professional volleyball player. She enrolled in a professional modeling course at age 14 to improve her posture -- a course that ended with a trip to a São Paulo shopping mall, where talent scouts were waiting. On her website, Bündchen modestly concludes "they must have liked me"; in retrospect, it appears certain that when the said agents laid eyes on her, they almost certainly realized that they were looking at one of the most fantastic discoveries of the era and someone who redefined "photogenic." In virtually no time at all, Gisele was everywhere.

Unlike some of her contemporaries -- such as Crawford and Elle MacPherson -- Bündchen undertook a somewhat reserved foray into Hollywood features. Her first appearances constituted bit parts in such pictures as Taxi (2004) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide




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