Learn About Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Host: It's in the news lately that if you go to a fast-food restaurant, you could get more than you've bargained for and some people go to Taco Bell recently and there has been some hamburger joints up in the North, Northwest of the country many years ago got this thing called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome through eating the food. You went to a restaurant, you end up with a gastro problem, maybe even hematologist. Can you explain that a little bit? Narmer F. Galeano: That's maybe a good question, because in fact, as you've commented, we have had several cases in the news reporting this type of problems. The food can be contaminated by a variety of bacterias and it is important also to take into account that disease has also gone global therefore, we can't get the food from many parts of the world and it's very difficult really to have a good control of -- Host: And that is recently in the news, there was a bacteria called OX1 or something? Narmer F. Galeano: Yeah, the bacterias are called by different names, so there is some bacteria called Escherichia coli or E. coli and that bacteria has also different strains, different names. So, one of these strains is E. coli 0157, which characteristically may produce certain toxins that maybe very toxic to then testing and particularly produces severe complication that condition that you have mentioned as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. In that condition, there is a destruction of the red blood cells and then the condition may affect also the keenness of the patient and inducing the presence of venom. The condition maybe very serious and so that it require treatment and in many cases, certainly admission to the hospital. Host: In that condition, because it can cause the kidneys to fail, that is one of the reasons people die, isn't it? Narmer F. Galeano: Certainly, certainly. There is a mortality associated to the condition and it's associated to the complications including severe hemolysis due to the presence of renal failure. Host: Now, our food supply, people think oh, they go and get organic vegetables, but if it's fertilized with cow manure, you can gain anything good with? Narmer F. Galeano: Well, there is this misconception about organic and natural products that they comment to the patient, this is a natural. So not everything that is natural or organic, is necessarily healthy. Your comment is precisely very well taken. The soil maybe fertilized with manure, which is organic, but that manure is going to contain a lot of bacteria and then certainly, can contaminate the food. Similarly, it may happens with the type of irrigation that the source may have depending on the rivers that are very contaminated etcetera. So that also can produce contamination of the food. Also, in the process of transportation and packing of the food, contamination may occur at any step of that process. Host: Is it good sake, if you got a quarter of hamburger, is it good to cook at 165 degrees? Narmer F. Galeano: Well, certainly cooking very well meat is very important to try to inactivate this certain act to kill the bacteria and certainly for other products, it is very important really to take this very traditional measures that washing very well the vegetables before being consumed. Host: But sometimes it gets into the root system and washing doesn't even work. Narmer F. Galeano: That's true. Host: But if you are going to clean it, you have a better chance of having it better dissolved. Narmer F. Galeano: Certainly, you are right. Host: Let's say eating a steak even lot better than having a hamburger because the flying kills the outside, but if you have a hamburger, you have got to make better in the inside? Is that correct? Narmer F. Galeano: Well, I probably wouldn't say so. I think that it's very important really to cook very well the meat and really be sure that it is well done. Host: In Europe, they irradiate a lot of food through passing these big beams from it of radiation. Does that reduce the risk of getting this disease? We don't do it here because we think radiation of food is bad. Narmer F. Galeano: Well, I think that the radiation, in fact, may produce sterilization of the food and it certainly can be measured with the food produce, the incidence of food poisoning. Host: But in this case, this stuff is really strong, isn't it? Narmer F. Galeano: Oh that can be very, very serious, it is certainly. Anybody's change can have different ability to produce larger amounts of stuff and I think it's also going to depend upon the cause, how young is the person. Host: Are we in compromise? Okay, thank you for your advice.