infectious diseases
Escherichia coli Infections
Diseases caused byE. coli
Urinary tract infection (UTI; most common) Enteric infection (certain strains) Invasive infection (rare, except in neonates) Infection at other sites Most commonly,E. colicause UTIs, which usually represent ascending infection (ie, from the perineum via the urethra).E. colimay also cause prostatitis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). E. colinormally inhabit the gastrointestinal tract; however, some strains have acquired genes that enable them to cause intestinal infection. When ingested, the following strains can cause diarrhea: Infection by Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Other Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) : These strains can cause watery diarrhea, particularly in infants and travelers ( Traveler’s Diarrhea ). Enteroinvasive:These strains can cause inflammatory diarrhea. Enteropathogenic:These strains can cause watery diarrhea, particularly in infants. Enteroaggregative:Some strains are emerging as potentially important causes of persistent diarrhea in patients with AIDS and in children in tropical areas. Other strains are capable of causing extraintestinal infection if normal intestinal anatomic barriers are disrupted (eg, by ischemia, inflammatory bowel disease, colonic diverticulitis, or trauma), in which case the organism may spread to adjacent structures or invade the bloodstream. Hepatobiliary, peritoneal, cutaneous, and pulmonary infections also occur.E. colibacteremia may also occur without an evident portal of entry. Neonatal Sepsis and 