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How is it that we get sick from eating food tainted with E. coli ...?

when our intestines are already full of E. coli? How does adding a little more of what is already there make you sick?

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  • 1 decade ago
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    There are many different strains of E. coli. There is ETEC (toxogenic) EHEC (hemorrhagic) EIEC (invasive). The most nasty one is E.Coli H7O157 (designated by certain flagellar proteins). It is the one that can cause the hemorrhagic version leading to bloody diarrhea.

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