Who is affected by E. coli bacteria
E. coli infection probably is not diagnosed or reported nearly as often as it occurs. There were about 1,040 cases of E. coli in Canada in 2004.1 Currently, all provinces and territories require that all cases of severe bloody diarrhea (hemorrhagic colitis) be reported to their health departments to help identify outbreaks.
It is not known how common the infection is in other countries. Outbreaks in Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and other European countries suggest that E. coli O157:H7 infection is a worldwide problem.
Anyone who is exposed to disease-causing strains of E. coli bacteria can become infected, but the most serious infections occur among children younger than 5 and in older adults.2
| Author: | Douglas Dana Ralph Poore | Last Updated: August 25, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease | |
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