Urinary Tract Infections
With a urinary tract infection, you will likely experience at least one of the following signs:
Bacterial Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, or the brain’s lining. E. coli is an uncommon but possible cause of bacterial meningitis. In the United States, bacterial meningitis was once more common. However, vaccinations have decreased its presence. Despite vaccines being available for other types, no E. coli meningitis vaccine is currently available, and it’s the third most significant bacterial meningitis cause in infants under a month of age. In 2021, E. coli led to about 1,500 deaths in this age group, according to the Meningitis Research Foundation.
Babies born preterm and those born at a low birth weight have an increased risk of contracting this type of meningitis. An E. coli strain called K1 accounts for the vast majority of E. coli–related neonatal meningitis cases.
Newborns may acquire E. coli K1 during birth or later on in the hospital or at home. That said, all types of bacterial meningitis are very rare in developed countries. E. coli meningitis is far rarer in older children and adults, but the risk may be higher in individuals with compromised immune systems, head injuries, or a device for draining brain fluid to relieve pressure called a cerebrospinal fluid shunt (CSF shunt).
A newborn with meningitis may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Fever, but body temperature can also be normal or low
- Irritability
- Refusing to feed
- Vomiting
- High-pitched crying
- A stiff body that makes jerky movements
- A bulging or tense soft area on top of the infant’s head
- Extreme sleepiness or a baby being difficult to wake
- A staring expression
In other populations, symptoms might include:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- A painful headache
- Extreme lethargy and finding waking challenging
- Seizures
- Discomfort when looking at bright lights
- Neck stiffness, most often in adults
Sepsis
Signs and symptoms include:
Pneumonia
- Chest pain when breathing or coughing
- Cough with phlegm, which might contain blood
- Breathlessness
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Fatigue
- A high fever, up to 105 degrees F
- An unusually fast heartbeat
- Chills
- Sweating
- Confusion or changes in mental awareness
- Abdominal pain
- Cyanosis, which refers to blue-tinted skin, nails, or lips
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