Pathogen: E. Coli 0157:H7 - bacteria

Symptoms

• Severe stomach cramps
• Diarrhea (often bloody)
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Headache
• Little or no fever

Start of symptoms / how long they last

Symptoms usually

• start within 3 to 4 days but can occur up to 10 days later
• last from 5 to 10 days

How you can get sick

• By eating or drinking
  • food or beverages contaminated with E. Coli O157:H7
  • unpasteurized (raw) milk and (raw) milk products
  • untreated water
• Through contact with:
  • cattle or other farm animals
  • the feces of infected people
• Through cross-contamination between raw meat and other food when you are preparing food
• person or animal can carry the bacteria without showing symptoms of illness, and can spread it to foods, surfaces or other people.

Potential health impacts

• Up to 15 percent of children infected, and a much smaller proportion of adults, develop Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). This is a type of kidney failure and blood disorder.
• Most people with HUS recover within a few weeks, but some suffer permanent kidney and other organ damage and complications, or may die.

Food commonly associated

• Beef, raw and undercooked, ground and whole cuts
• Unpasteurized apple juice or cider
• Unpasteurized (raw) milk and (raw) milk products, such as raw milk cheese
• Untreated drinking water
• Contaminated raw fruit and vegetables that are not cooked (including alfalfa and bean sprouts)

How to protect yourself

• Cook food to a safe internal temperature.
• Use a digital food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food. Refer to the chart on page 5.
• Eat and drink only pasteurized apple juice, cider, milk and milk products.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before preparing or eating food.
• Wash your hands after contact with animals or their environments (at farms, petting zoos, and fairs).
• Drink water from a safe supply (treated or boiled water).
• Keep raw food away from other food while shopping, and while storing, preparing and serving foods.

Food Safety Tip

Leftovers again? Reheat leftovers only one time and to a safe internal temperature of 74ºC (165ºF). Throw away any uneaten leftovers after they have been reheated.

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