Barbecue cooks must know about E. coli

By JOE O'CONNELL, past President
Updated May 17, 2002

Barbecue cooks should be familiar with food poisoning and its major causes, including E. coli.

E. coli

E. Coli means Escherichia coli which is a bacterial species which occurs in many different classes.  Some of the classes are non-toxic and occur naturally in the human intestines.   However, the public fears E. coli more than any other food-related illness.

There are four classes of toxic E. coli, which are called "enterovirulent E. coli" and which cause illness (gastroenteritis) in humans.  Among these four classes are the enterotoxigenic ("ETEC") strains. They comprise a relatively small proportion of the species and have been etiologically associated with diarrheal illness of all age groups from diverse global locations.

The illness is caused by consuming food contaminated with human feces, usually from sewage.  However, as of 1992, there were only four documented outbreaks of E. coli in the U.S.:  

• The first resulted from drinking water contaminated with human sewage;  
• The second resulted from eating food prepared by an infected food handler;
• The third resulted from eating food prepared in a hospital cafeteria, probably by an infected food handler;  and
• The fourth resulted from eating food prepared aboard a cruise ship, probably by an infected food handler.

The disease among travelers to foreign countries, however, is common.

Related information

• See the related Bibliography of Barbecue Health and Safety