Mayo Clinic Minute: E. coli Fast Facts

The return of the summer barbecue brings with it the risk for sickness from E. coli in food that hasn’t been handled properly.

Most varieties of E. coli are harmless or cause brief sickness. However, a few particularly nasty strains, such as E. coli O157:H7, can cause more severe symptoms. And, unlike many other disease-causing bacteria, E. coli can create an infection even if you ingest only small amounts. Because of this, you can be sickened by E. coli from eating a slightly under cooked hamburger or a contaminated side salad.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, reporter Jeff Olsen speaks with an emergency medicine doctor about common causes E. coli sickness and what can be done to prevent them.