Tin hat time on e.coli.

[FloridaPat]

This is really strange. All along the Mississippi are cattle farms, dairy farms, and slaughter houses. Where there's cow's there's e. coli. It has to be in the Mississippi. Anyone check what's in that river? So everyone's panicy about e. coli being the the water. Something is wrong here. It is not a threat unless you get it in your system. And they don't mention how much is in the water either. aso ai think they're scaring people with this. As usual.

[BootinUp]

1. The concentration is a concern I guess

But yes I believe it is common in untreated water.

[seito]

2. Fecal matter in the water = e. coli

on edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli

[tjdee]

3. If you're in water for a while, you're going to drink some.

Especially little kids.

I've heard amounts (and promptly forgot them, sorry!).

[kestrel91316]

4. Everybody's poop has Escherichia coli living in it. Without it we would

die. It is part of us (the normal strain, that is). Who knows if they have enterotoxigenic E. coli, but I suspect it's there along with Salmonella, Shigella, and a host of other pathogens. These little guys are why we TREAT drinking water with those nasty chemicals first.

They have had some cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a water-borne pathogen. It is commonly associated with the consumption of raw shellfish, and normally does little or no harm to healthy people, but can be rapidly fatal in the chronically ill or immunosuppressed.

We are going to see lots of diarrhea, vomiting type illnesses out of NOLA for weeks to come.

[OhioChick]

5. I heard that it was

45,000 times above the safe levels.

[Up2Late]

6. You get it if you drink the polluted water, unless you boil it first

Which, if you don't have any water and get desperate or delirious, you might.

[Horse with no Name]

7. About e. coli

you want to find out if the contaminant is E. Coli 0157:H7.

E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Although most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness.
It is the one that was found in the Jack-in-the-Box burgers in the Northeast that killed those kids.

If there is e. coli in the water, would be definitely concerned about it entering the food supply--either in slaughter or in the milk.