Sepsis Caused by Food-borne Infection with Escherichia coli

Abstract

We report a case of sepsis caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) of serotype O-143. A 78-year-old man developed symptoms of gastroenteritis after ingesting raw meat on noodles. He rapidly developed respiratory failure. Blood culture grew E. coli. The sepsis seemed to have directly spread from a food-borne infection. The development of primary sepsis after ingesting E. coli is very rare. We suspect that bacterial translocation played a major role. Serotype O-143 is recognized in enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) as well as in Shigella dysenteriae. The pathogen in the present case is suspected of being EIEC although the isolated E. coli strain was negative for the inv and ipa genes.

Chemically Mediated Competition Between Microbes and Animals: Microbes as Consumers in Food Webs

“…Bacteria may make carcasses unpalatable by producing toxic chemicals that cause vomiting, diarrhea, and a reorganization of the gut flora or by producing nontoxic compounds that indicate the presence of invasive pathogenic microbes that can infect the blood and organs of the consumer (Snydman 1989). These foodborne infections (such as Salmonella, Listeria, and some Escherichia coli infections) can cause severe sepsis, meningitis, and even death (Snydman 1989, Wachi et al 2005. Thus, scavengers may not eat aging carrion not only to avoid the post-ingestive consequences of consuming toxic bacterial chemicals but also to avoid severe bacterial infections (Janzen 1977).…”