Student Name 1: Necka Earl D.

Amolo Date: October 19, 2022

Foodborne Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E.coli) Contamination

Microorganism are known to be invisible to the naked eye and are ubiquitous, which
means that they can be anywhere you would never dare to expect, just like how microorganism
present in our bodies. The human body contains trillions of microorganisms that make up only
about 1 to 3 percent of the body's mass (in a 200-pound adult, that's 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria)
and exceed human cells by a ratio of 10 to 1 (National Institute of Health, 2015). One of these
microorganisms is the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria which are normally present in our
intestines to help the body to break down and digest foods. Most E. coli are harmless, however,
some strains are pathogenic and can cause severe foodborne disease. It is transmitted to
humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw or undercooked
ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated raw vegetables and sprouts.
In Southeast Asia, Urinary Tract Infection due to E. coli is the most prevalent. Among the
other Southeast Asian Countries based on the review of Rosero et al. 2021, Myanmar had the
highest rate of E. coli with a prevalence rate of 94 percent among the other Southeast Asian
nations. However, Brunei had the lowest prevalence rate, at 1.18%. More than 48% of the
Escherichia coli isolates in the different SEA countries accounts from Vietnam. The European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA) received 48 STEC outbreak reports in 2018, totaling 381 cases
across 10 nations. Five of the 43 foodborne outbreaks with strong evidence had a known cause
which were brought on by cheese and one each by milk, red meat, and vegetables (Whitworth,
2020). Severe diarrhea is typically a symptom of most pathogenic Escherichia coli infections.
Each year, diarrheal illness affects roughly 1.7 billion people worldwide. In children under the
age of five, diarrheal illness is the second most common cause of death. Around 760,000 young
children under the age of five pass away each year from diarrheal illnesses (Chowdhury et al.
2015). However, diarrheal sickness brought on by the pathogenic E. coli has a high possibility
that can be avoided through improving environmental sanitation and thus, developing alternative
interventions that would eradicate this foodborne contamination is highly needed.
On an article published by Finlay & Falkow 1997, numerous genetic techniques are used
by bacterial pathogens to infect their hosts and, rarely, to make them weak. Based on the
conservation of similar processes, many of these virulence factors and their regulatory
components can be grouped into a smaller number of groups. These recurring themes appear
in all of the parameters affecting bacterial virulence. Similarly, only a small number of
construction methods for the bacterial pilus and nonpilus adhesins, which pathogens utilize to
cling to host substrates, have been conserved. Invasion of host cells by bacteria is a
complicated process. However, several microbes share a number of invasion-related motifs.
Infections only have a few options for ensuring their survival once they are inside a host cell,
including staying inside a host vacuole or escaping into the cytoplasm.
Moreover, on the Palaniappan and Chang that emphasizes the differentiation of
Escherichia coli and its corresponding pathotypes. They explained how pathogenic E.coli strains
can be distinguished from their nonpathogenic counterparts by the presence of virulence genes.
These virulence genes are typically arranged as large blocks in chromosomes, plasmids, or
phages and are frequently transferable between Escherichia coli strains.Pathotypes for
Escherichia coli strains are based on the type of virulence factor and the clinical symptoms of
the host. The symptoms and types of the various Escherichia coli strains are as
follows:Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), which causes diarrhea in animals as well as humans;
Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which causes colitis with bleeding and hemolytic uremic
syndrome; Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), which causes traveler's diarrhea as well as diarrhea
in animals. Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), which causes persistent diarrhea in humans, and
diffusely adherent E. coli (DAEC), which is a subclass of EAEC that causes diarrhea in children;
Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), which causes dysentery and watery diarrhea; Uropathogenic E.
coli (UPEC), which causes infections of the urinary tract in both animals and humans;and lastly,
the meningitis and sepsis-causing Escherichia coli neonatal meningitis (NMEC).
Furthermore, foodborne E.coli contamination is regarded as a global issue. With that, all
countries and related international organizations must collaborate to detect and control
foodborne problems that endanger public health and international trade, and alternative
interventions are key to prevent this dilemma to re-emerge. Murray and colleagues in their
article about limitations of post-harvest washing and the identified need for alternative
interventions, they emphasized how alternative, or supplemental, and non-aqueous are relevant
mediations including irradiation, ultraviolet light, high hydrostatic pressure, gas phase (ozone
and chlorine dioxide), and hydroxyl radicals generated through advanced oxidative process or
gas plasma. They conclude that these interventions have been shown to be effective at
pathogen control in the laboratory and are ready for commercial use. Besides that, O'flynn et al.
(2004) investigated the use of Bacteriophages to eliminate the pathogen Escherichia coli
O157:H7 and were proven effective. This study were being supported by Goodridge and Bisha
as they reviewed the use of phage-based biocontrol as an intervention to reduce not only
pathogenic E.coli but also other foodborne pathogens in food. This intervention has achieved
several successes with respect to regulatory approval of phage-based products destined for use
in foods, resulting in an increase in the number of phage products and thus, piqued consumers'
interest as foodborne outbreaks continue to occur globally. They also mentioned how new
phage products will most likely be targeted against emerging foodborne pathogens in the future.
Based on the articles, it is indeed necessary to develop and enhance alternative
interventions to completely eliminate not just Escherichia coli foodborne contamination.
Although, prevention is always the best intervention prior to contamination, these studies that
were mentioned aim to identify novel chemical, physical, and biological techniques suitable for
completely eliminating or inactivating pathogenic E. coli cells, with the goal of developing
strategies that target each stage of the food chain from the perspective of “Farm-to-Table food
safety” as well as managing major reservoir of pathogenic E.coli throughout the procedure.
 References

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