A study has recently related the increase in cases of colon cancer in young people with the exposure to toxins produced by bacteria Escherichia coli. In addition, it has been associated with other very different complications, such as the dangerous hemolytic uremic syndrome or the rare self-stiler syndrome.
Actually, the E. coli It is a very common bacterium in our environment and even inside our body. However, Most of the time it is harmlessand only in a few cases cause serious health problems. There are several types within the same species, and as the case will have different effects on our body
Serious cases of acute and serious infections
As indicated by the World Health Organizationthe bacteria Escherichia coli It is normally found in the intestine of humans and in general in that of hot blood animals, mostly innocuous strains being. However, there are some variants, such as the one that produces a toxin called Shiga or Colitoxin, that can be dangerous and cause serious diseases that normally contract due to contaminated food consumption.
More specifically, the E. coli Shiga toxin producer (This is called for its resemblance to the toxins produced by another bacterial species, Shigella Dysenteriae) proliferate in a wide range of temperatures (between 7 and 50 degrees Celsius, with a preference for around 37º). Many times, it is present in acidic foods.
In most cases, this strain of E. coli produces a disease characterized by abdominal cramps and diarrheathat in some cases progresses hemorrhagic colitis (diarrhea with blood) and even fever and vomiting. However, in a low percentage of people (especially children and the elderly) it can lead to a potentially deadly picture called uremic hemolytic syndrome, whose main features are acute renal failure, hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia.
Even more rare are the Meningitis cases by E. coli, that almost always occurs in newborns and causes fever, stiffness in the neck, headache and neurological signs according to the seriousness of the infection.
E. coli and colon cancer: a different bacterium
Instead, the strain of E. coli that the newly published study in Nature has related to an increase in recent decades with an increase in Cancer cases in children under 50 years It is a different one, which produces a different toxin called colibactin.
Unlike Colitoxin or Shiga toxin, this compound is genotoxic: that is, damages the DNA of the cells. That is why it can apparently produce mutations in intestine cells that, over the years, can lead to cancer development.
These lineages of E. coli They have also been related to other chronic effects such as intestinal inflammation (which can make conditions such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) or disbiosis (alterations in intestinal flora) and have even been related to some Breast cancer cases (According to a study published in 2023 in Cells).
Prevention against E. coli
Today, the May Clinic (United States) We do not have vaccines or medications against the E. coliso our most effective tool to combat it is prevention
To avoid contracting a harmful strain of this bacteria, the main precautions go through properly cook food (Especially minced meat), make sure that the milk and juices we drink are pasteurized, carefully wash fruits and vegetables, avoid cross contamination between food (washing utensils, separating raw foods) and washing our hands before and after going to the bathroom or handling food.
Not having effective medicines, the treatment of acute pictures produced by the E. coli It consists of him rest and fluid replacementreaching hospitalization in the case of hemolytic uremic syndrome. Regarding the risk of colon cancer, the most effective way to address it is to undergo screening tests (feces analysis) frequently colonoscopies when indicated.
References
WHO (2018). E. coli. Consulted online on April 24, 2025.
Díaz-Gay M et al. GEOGRAPHIC AND AGE-REALATED VARISIONS IN MUTATIONAL PROCESSES IN COLORAL CANCER. Medrxiv [Preprint] (2025). DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.13.25322219.
Bernardo G, Le Noci V, Di Modica M, Montanari E, Triulzi T, Pupa Sm, Tagliabue E, Sommariva M, Sfondrini L. The Emerging Role of the Microbiota in Breast Cancer Progression. Cells (2023) DOI: 10.3390/Cells12151945.
May Clinic. E. coli. Consulted online on April 24, 2025.
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