E.coli has become a nuisance since the bacteria was discovered in an outbreak in Germantown, Ohio, in July 2012. Since the outbreak, scientists have tried to make medical breakthroughs with the cure and the eradication of the bacteria. With the outbreak of the bacteria in food, some of the symptoms include abdominal pains, bloody or watery diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms usually occur within 3-4 days from the day of infection. The worst thing about E.coli is that it leads to kidney failure if untreated.

However, despite many people thinking that antibiotics are the way to go for the treatment of the bacteria it has become known that it actually can make the bacteria resistant. For a few years, the treatment of the food related bacteria using one or more antibiotics have been thought to be the most effective way. However, following the 2011 outbreak, which was characterized with the complication of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, better known as HUS, this longtime belief was shattered, to say the least.

When the researchers reviewed the individual cases, it was revealed that most of the victims that had less than two antibiotics were less prone to seizures. The scientists discovered that the antibiotics were better administered when the diarrhea had subsided in the later stages of the infections. The HUS complication occurs when toxins are released by the E.coli bacteria. It damages blood vessels and prevents free flow of blood because of clogging. This in turn stops normal functioning of the kidneys and the release toxins via urine. It was then discovered that instead of antibiotics slowing this effect down, it actually accelerated the complication by triggering the release of the toxins called Shiga. Despite the sad reality that this has sent the medical world, it has become some sort of light breakthrough in understanding infection in the food safety arena.