E coli in the Brain: Tragic and Not Fully Understood

Posted by Fred Pritzker in E. coli hus

Since hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States, it receives a lot of attention as one of the most dangerous complications than can spill from an E. coli O157:H7 infection.

Less common but just as frightening is E. coli in the brain, also known as E. coli meningitis. As is the case with most foodborne infectious diseases, the people most vulnerable to this complication are young children and older adults. We have seen cases in children, for instance, where they have recovered but suffered brain damage to the extent where they have had to re-learn how to read. It’s heartbreaking stuff and scary because science still doesn’t comprehend it well enough to prevent it or advance the treatment of it.¹

To better understand E. coli in the brain, let’s step back and look at the organism itself. Not all E. coli microbes are capable of causing this condition. The prime culprit is E. coli O157:H7, which emits Shiga toxin. Other serotypes of E. coli also produce Shiga toxin and are equally destructive and dangerous.

E. coli organisms swim and fall like wacky submarines.  Each one sprouts a half-dozen propellers from its cigar-shaped body that are in the form of whips. The whips have hooks on the end that help them grab the walls of large intestine, which is their favorite habitat.  They swim fast — about 10 lengths of their own body per second.

E. coli bacteria cause diarrhea, often bloody. These micro-bugs feed off the iron in the blood and when they cluster in sufficient strength, they can infect the bloodstream.

One of the body’s key defense systems against bacterial and viral infection is the blood-brain barrier, which blocks foreign particles but allows nutrition to pass into the central nervous system to keep cells healthy. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli somehow penetrate the defense system by interacting chemically with  brain microvascular endothelial cells that help make up the blood-brain barrier.

These interactions during the invasion are the focus of continuing study of  how to prevent E. coli in the brain. People who develop this complication, which includes inflammation of the brain membrane, can suffer brain injury, spinal cord damage or death. Possible advanced symptoms include seizures, altered consciousness, behavioral changes, double vision and dizziness. Early symptoms can include headache, fever and stiff neck.

To have an attorney at national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys review your E. coli in the brain case free of charge, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). You could also complete an online form to receive a free case consultation.

The firm is dedicated to prevention of foodborne illness and has been an advocate for improving food safety legislation and inspection.

¹Source: Strategy of Escherichia coli for Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier
Kwang Sik Kim Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

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