The Richmond Register

Local News

August 24, 2012

Ill child tests inconclusive for E. coli

Richmond

MADISON COUNTY —

A Madison County child has been hospitalized with an illness that is often caused by eating food contaminated with E. coli.

However, the initial test for E. coli was inconclusive, and subsequent tests were not possible once the child was aggressively treated with antibiotics, Green said.

The child developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which causes kidney failure. HUS is a life-threatening illness that young children and older adults can develop after exposure to certain strains of E. coli. However, the condition also has been linked to salmonella, shigella and other gastrointestinal infections, according to the National Institutes of Health.

E. coli is a bacteria found in the intestines of animal and humans. The most common ways people contract E. coli is from contaminated food or water (often ground beef, unpasteurized milk, fresh produce), and from person-to-person or animal-to-person contact.

Because the girl’s illness was not been confirmed as E. coli, the health department was unable to link it to a particular source and it’s considered a “cold case,” Green said. So far there have not been any more similar cases amongst the girl’s family or in her contact area, the spokesperson said.

Sarah Hogsed can be reached at shogsed

@richmondregister.com

or 624-6694.

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