E. coli happens! Here we have an electron microscope image of a head of lettuce. But that’
E. coli happens!Here we have an electron microscope image of a head of lettuce. But that’s not all that’s in this picture.If you look closely, you will see a few rod like structures in the centre of the lettuce head. This is E. coli, a rod shaped, gram negative bacterium that measures around 2 micrometres in length.E. coli is a bacteria that is commonly utilised as an indicator of faecal contamination (the title might make some sense now). Although E. coli is found in the bowels of all animals and usually causes no harm, there are certain strains that are problematic- the infamous Verocytotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC), which contain a shiga toxin, are an example and can cause illness if ingested.While I can’t say what strain of E. coli is present in this image, it serves as a reminder to always ensure you wash vegetables thoroughly before eating- you never know what’s lurking!-JeanImage:http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrilifetoday/5226014847/in/photostream/ -- source link
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