WASHINGTON—The American Academy of Microbiology released a new report, “FAQ—E. coli: The Good, the Bad and the Deadly," to enhance public understanding of the role of E. coli. The report is based on the deliberations of 13 of the nation's leading experts who met in September 2011 to develop clear answers to frequently asked questions regarding the role of E. coli in scientific research, human health and foodborne disease.
“The story of E. coli, what we are trying to tell in this report, is really much larger than just its role as a pathogen. It's been such a large component of research for so long—so much of what we know about biology has come from studying E. coli," said Michael Doyle of the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety, a member of the steering committee.
The report discusses the following questions and provides a summary of each, followed by a more detailed explanation:
- What is E. coli anyway?
- How has E. coli contributed to our understanding of biology?
- What does naturally occurring E. coli in our GI tract do?
- What is the difference between "good" E. coli that inhabits our GI tract and the "bad" E. coli that makes us sick?
- Why does E. coli make some people sick and not others?
- How does E. coli become pathogenic?
- How does our food become contaminated with E. coli?
- What steps are being taken to protect our food from contamination by pathogenic E. coli?
- What types of food are most commonly associated with E. coli, and why do there seem to be more cases of contamination recently?
Click here to download the report.
