Everyone Healthy Library
E coli Infection
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Linked signs and symptoms
10Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
9Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
6Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Medical therapy
2Lifestyle changes
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
31These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Albumin Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Glucose Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Lactic Dehydrogenase Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Electrophoresis
- Cerebrospinal Fluid White Cell Differential
- Chloride Concentration (Blood)
- Cholesterol Concentration
- Cholinesterase (Serum Acetylcholinesterase, Pseudocholinesterase)
- D-Dimer Blood Test
- Eosinophils Count
- erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- Ferritin Concentration
- Fibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products, FSPs, Fibrin Breakdown Products, Fbps)
- Fibrin Monomers Test
- Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay
- Glucagon Concentration Test
- Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Concentration
- Glucose, Blood (Fasting Blood Glucose)
- Glucose, Blood (Random Blood Glucose Test)
- haptoglobin (Hp) concentration
- Leukocyte Concentration (Stool)
- Neutrophil Absolute Count
- Plasminogen Activity
- Platelet Count
- Potassium Concentration (K, Blood)
- Protein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Urine glucose concentration
- Urine Urobilinogen Concentration
- White Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Biological markers/agents
31This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
26- Albumin (Cerebrospinal Fluid, CSF)Reference range exampleAll: 10–35 mg/dL; All: 56–76 %Linked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Albumin Concentration, Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Electrophoresis
- Alpha-1 Antintrypsin (AAT)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 90–215 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Alpha-1-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–0.3 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Alpha-2-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.6–1 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Lactate DehydrogenaseReference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 0–75 units/L; Adult ( > 16y): 0–40 units/LLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Lactic Dehydrogenase Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid LeukocytesReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–5 /µL; 1y - 6y: 0–20 /µLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid White Cell Differential
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Total ProteinReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 15–45 mg/dL; Child (< 10y): 15–70 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration
- Cholesterol (Total)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 75–180 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y): 0–190 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCholesterol Concentration
- D-DimerReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–240 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsD-Dimer Blood Test
- EosinophilsReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–3 %; 0–3 %Linked diagnostic testsDifferential White Blood Cell Count Tests, Eosinophil Differential Of Total WBC
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation RateReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 0–20 mm/Hr; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 0–15 mm/HrLinked diagnostic testserythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- FerritinReference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 7–140 µg/L; Adult ( > 16y), Female: 18–160 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsFerritin Concentration
- Fibrin MonomersReference range example0–10,000 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Monomers Test
- Fibrin Split ProductsReference range exampleAll: 0–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products
- Fibrinopeptide A (FPA)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 0.7–3.1 mg/mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 0.35–2.5 mg/mLLinked diagnostic testsFibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay
- GlucagonReference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 0–147 pg/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 20–110 pg/mLLinked diagnostic testsGlucagon Concentration Test
- Glucose (Blood)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 3–6.1 mmol/L; Adult ( > 16y): 0–6.1 mmol/LLinked diagnostic testsfasting Blood Glucose Test, Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT
- haptoglobin (Hp)Reference range example45–200 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testshaptoglobin (Hp) concentration
- Leukocytes (Stool)Reference range exampleAll: 0–1 Not PresentLinked diagnostic testsLeukocyte Concentration (Stool)
- PlasminogenReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 65–153 %; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 70–120 %Linked diagnostic testsPlasminogen Activity
- Potassium (K, Blood)AbbreviationKReference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 4.1–5.3 mEq/L; Child (0 - 16y): 3.4–4.7 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsPotassium Concentration (K, Blood)
- PrealbuminReference range exampleAll: 2–7 %Linked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Protein Electrophoresis
- Segmented NeutrophilsReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 50–62 %; Adult ( > 16y): 2,500–8,000 mm3Linked diagnostic testsDifferential White Blood Cell Count Tests, Neutrophil Absolute Count
- Urine glucoseReference range example0–2.5; Adult ( > 16y): 0–2.5 mmol/dayLinked diagnostic testsUrine glucose concentration
- Urobilinogen (Urine)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsUrine Urobilinogen Concentration
- White Blood Cell (WBC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 4.5–10.5 million/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 3.2–10 million/mLLinked diagnostic testsWhite Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Often decreased
5- Chloride (Blood, Cl)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 97–106 mEq/L; Birth - 2wks: 94–106 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsChloride Concentration (Blood)
- CholinesteraseReference range exampleAll: 6–19 U/mLLinked diagnostic testsCholinesterase (Serum Acetylcholinesterase, Pseudocholinesterase)
- Glucose (Cerebrospinal Fluid)Reference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 65–85 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y): 50–72 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Glucose Concentration
- Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 10.1–18.5 U/gHb; Birth - 2wks: 12–23 U/gHbLinked diagnostic testsGlucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Concentration
- PlateletsReference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 150–450 109/L; Adult ( > 16y): 135–380 109/LLinked diagnostic testsPlatelet Count
Introduction / full article
E coli Infection
Escherichia coli infection
E coli infection is caused by a common type of bacteria called Escherichia coli. There are potentially hundreds of different E.coli strains, which are either harmless or may cause serious ailments and health conditions. Harmless E.coli bacteria are considered normal body inhabitants found in the intestinal tract for both humans and animals. More harmful strains may cause E.coli infection which could develop into urinary tract infection or UTI, severe bloody diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and may also infect the genital organs. People may be exposed to this type of bacteria usually from contaminated food or water such as undercooked ground beef and raw vegetables.