# How does E. coli get into new guts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680 "2001-11-05T22:12:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DannyWilliams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@DannyWilliams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DannyWilliams)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/1 "2001-11-05T22:12:19Z")
New babies come from a pretty sterile place, I’m told. I’ve also been told that we have lots of nifty bacteria in our guts that either handle or help our digestion. How is it that these two get together? Is E. coli just slathered on every surface in every home so that new babies get their first infusion environmentally? I’m pretty sure it’s not coming from the breast milk, as that must be pretty sterile too. I asked one of the long time neonatal nurses at the hospital, but she had no idea and had never though of it. She even suggested that it may just grow in the baby like organs do, but I suspect that E. coli DNA will not match my babies DNA. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/2 "2001-11-05T22:41:32Z")
> [@](#): > > New babies come from a pretty sterile place, I’m told. But they also have no idea as to what kinds of things should be kept out of the mouth, including dirty hands. Young childred and immuno-suppressed adults are at greater risk for any kind of infection, which may explain a higher infant _E. coli_ infection rate. _Beneficial_ strains of _E. coli_ are actually the primary bacteria in the human intestine. But if even those buggers make it out of the intestinal tract and into other parts of the body, serious infections can result. Perhaps back when people cooked baby formula at home the incidents of infection were higher, but I don’t think that is true today. It’s probably just because infants are less able to combat infection. ---
**Author:** ![cmburns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@cmburns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmburns)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/3 "2001-11-06T00:12:09Z")
According to this site: [http://www.autismfundamentals.org/Phase%201%20-%20Fundamentals/4probiotics.html](http://www.autismfundamentals.org/Phase%201%20-%20Fundamentals/4probiotics.html) the initial introduction is in the passage through the birth canal, with further transfer from the mother during breast feeding. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/4 "2001-11-06T00:28:55Z")
E. coli is passed through the fecal-oral route. Anyone who’s had a child will nod knowingly. It usually takes about six months for the child’s normal intestinal flora to get established. ---
**Author:** ![tapioca\_tundra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@tapioca\_tundra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapioca_tundra)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/5 "2001-11-06T01:12:09Z")
~~The university of arizona did a study and found that more E coli is found in the kitchen than in the bathroom. yes to smeg. and there are more bacteria involved. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/6 "2001-11-06T05:04:22Z")
A previous thread on this topic: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=15146](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=15146) ---
**Author:** ![DannyWilliams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@DannyWilliams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DannyWilliams)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-e-coli-get-into-new-guts/91680/7 "2001-11-06T16:16:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dtilque \* > \*\*A previous thread on this topic: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=15146](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=15146) \*\* Dang, and I did try to be a good little poster and search the archive before posting here. I guess I need to remember to search the Boards as well!