Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archives Grade Level: 7-10 Subject: Health

E. coli Outbreak

This month (September, 1999) residents of upstate New York are experiencing the worst outbreak of E. coli poisoning in the state's history, and the second worst in the nation's history. Nearly 600 people reported signs of infection after attending the Washington County Fair about 30 miles north of Albany, where a potentially deadly strain of the bacteria had contaminated unchlorinated well water used to supply six food and drink vendors.

As of September 11 two people had died from the outbreak, one of whom was a 3-year-old girl who died of kidney failure caused by the bacteria. Children are more susceptible to kidney failure because their kidneys are not as developed as adults, and less able to withstand the bacteria. Eight other children remained on dialysis Friday as doctors tried to filter toxins from their blood.

In this online lesson you will research E. coli bacteria, discover its source, and learn about treatment.

Microbiology at the University of Kansas

Many of the biological terms associated with E. coli bacteria can get fairly complicated. One source for a common-language introduction to E. coli comes from Jack Brown, a faculty member of the Department of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Kansas. Go to his page called What the Heck is an E. coli? and read the first five or six sections.

You will learn that E. coli is a kind of bacteria that lives in our intestines, and that it's actually beneficial to us. So why did so many people get sick in New York after drinking E. coli contaminated water? Jack explains the answer in the section called OK; who "is" the bad guy?  What is the strain of the "bad guy" bacteria he's describing

Center for Disease Control

The authoritative source of information on serious disease are the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services. You can research E. coli by going to the Health Topics A-Z link. Use the alphabet jump links or scroll down to the topics beginning with E. Click E. coli or Escherichia coli O157:H7 (which links to the same page).

Study the information by clicking a Frequently Asked Question topic at the top of the page and reading the answer. Pay close attention to the topic of prevention. How would the preventative measures outlined by the CDC affect your lifestyle today? Will any of your personal health and hygiene habits change after having read these guidelines?

Mayo Clinic

Another reliable source for health information is Health Oasis, a service of the Mayo Clinic. This time use the Search feature to search the site for information on this topic. In the Search field (lower right) enter the term "E. coli" and click Search Oasis. In the results page for your query you may find over 150 references to E. coli. Click the title of result to browse to that page. For example, find and click the topic When E. coli Kills - Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. This is the disease related to E. coli that caused the death of the girl in New York.

Based on your research, what is currently the best treatment available for E. coli O157:H7? What new treatments may be on the horizon?

After studying this page, go back to your E. coli results page and research other topics that interest you.

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