Bacteria in my daily life

For this blog I choose to talk about E. Coli since in my previous blog I talked about Deinococcus radiodurans. I recently became interested in learning more about other bacteria such as E. coli. I will provide a little background on why I decided to talk about E. Coli. I work in the food industry in a fast food restaurant. I was required to obtain a food handler card. During my training, I learned how easily food can be contaminated especially, if people do not know how to properly prepare food. I believe that being aware of the science behind cooking would be more beneficial if this training was accessible to more people. 


In a common household like mine (I share a house with my siblings) cross contamination can occur because they do not have the knowledge on how to properly handle food, for example when cooking  meat and vegetables. For instance, when they cook they do not pay much attention that they often use the same cutting board for different kinds of foods. Here is when cross contamination can happen and cause someone to get ill from eating contaminated food. 


When people get infected from E. Coli their small intestines can become ill and present symptoms such as stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. People can experience dehydration as a consequence from all these symptoms. I would like to emphasize how amazed I am after learning how safe food preparation can prevent our family from getting infected with E. Coli and becoming ill.



The name of this bacterium honors Theodor Escherich, a young pediatric researcher from Munich, Germany. Theodor Escherich discovered this bacterium by examining baby feces at the end of the 19th century. Since then this bacterium has become the most studied microbe in history. A curious fact is that Theodor died even before the bacterium received its name: when he discovered it, he named it Bacteria coli commune.



Reference list

Gauntner, M. (2015, November 20). Three Ohio Chipotle restaurants added to E. coli investigation [Illustration]. Three Ohio Chipotle Restaurants Added to E. Coli Investigation. https://www.wfmj.com/story/30571725/three-ohio-chipotle-restaurants-added-to-e-coli-investigation


Shulman, S. T., Friedmann, H. C., & Sims, R. H. (2007, October 15). Theodor Escherich: The First Pediatric Infectious Diseases Physician? OUP Academic. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/45/8/1025/344528

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