Tennessee toddler dies after fighting E. coli
WATE.com reported yesterday that a Cocke County, Tennessee child died after fighting an E. coli infection. According to the story, the girl, who was 20-months-old and was diagnosed with E. coli on October 9, was determined to be brain-dead on Monday and her heart stopped functioning late Tuesday night. As to the source of her illness, WATE reported:
Officials with the East Tennessee Regional Health Department said Wednesday the source of Jaycee's infection has not been confirmed.However, her family says Jaycee had a little bit of hamburger meat the Saturday before she got sick but they don't know if that was the cause of her infection.
Since no other E. coli infections have been reported recently in Cocke County, health officials say they think the cases will be limited to Burgin's.
Young children who become infected with E. coli O157:H7 and other strains of E. coli are susceptible to a complication of E. coli infection called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS develops when the toxin from E. coli bacteria, known as Shiga-like toxin (SLT), enters the circulation by binding to special receptors. These Shiga-toxin receptors, known as Gb3 receptors, are probably heterogeneously distributed in the major body organs allowing disparate thrombotic (blood clotting) impacts in different HUS victims, although the greatest receptor concentration appears to be in the kidneys, especially in children. As the inflammatory reaction process accelerates, red blood cells are destroyed and cellular debris aggregates within the microvasculature while the body’s inherent clot breaking mechanisms are disrupted. The result is formation of microthrombi within particularly susceptible organs such as the kidneys and brain. Because there exists no way to halt the progression of HUS, doctors are left to support the HUS victim while the acute process runs its course.
Some organs appear more susceptible than others to the damage caused by these toxins, possibly due to the presence of increased numbers of toxin-receptors. These organs include the kidney, pancreas, and brain.
