Letter: E. coli needs to be better understood

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006 | 7:28 a.m.

As a retired microbiologist, I am appalled at the way in which the print and transmission news media report the disease outbreaks associated with fresh bagged spinach, and I call the following to your attention.

(1) "E. coli." This is used to designate a bacterium that is present in the fecal matter of all warm-blooded animals, including humans. The "E" is for Escherichia, the generic name which honors the German physician, Dr. Theodor Escherich. There is a protozoan in the human gut named Entamoeba coli and it too is "E. coli."

"E. coli bacteria" is both awkward and grammatically incorrect since the word "bacteria" is plural. It should be "Esch. coli the bacterium."

(2) The impression is conveyed that most or all Esch. coli cause human disease but this is not correct. The feces of a healthy human adult may contain up to 10,000,000 Esch. coli cells/g and they tend not to be harmful.

(3) Although about 95 percent of Esch. coli strains do not cause disease, some strains do and they include Esch. coli O157:H7 and related strains that cause hemorrhagic colitis in human adults, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in some preteens.

(4) The disease that is apparently associated with bagged spinach should be referred to as hemorrhagic colitis with HUS being a possible complication in the young.

(5) Esch. coli is the primary member of the coliform group of bacteria, and grade A pasteurized milk may contain up to 10 coliforms/ml.

James M. Jay, Henderson