Originally from Aarschot, Jill and Tijl, her parents, are devastated. On 15 July, they went to the hospital with their daughter because she was complaining of abdominal pain. Until then, Djoen had always been in good health, was never ill, never went to the doctor… All it took was one time. Once when Djoen caught the E.Coli bacteria, which ended up in her brain. She unfortunately lost her life.
How can such a “banal” bacterium have such tragic consequences? As microbiologist Katrien Lagrou (KU Leuven) explains in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, E.coli is found in the intestines of every individual and normally helps us to digest food or produce vitamins.
Read also A “harmless bacteria” but which was fatal to Djoen, a young Belgian girl aged 14: she went away in 7 days, “she just had a bit of a stomach ache…”
This bacteria can become dangerous when it accidentally ends up in another part of the body: ” It is regularly observed that bacteria can travel through the anus to the opening of the bladder. This happens especially to women. Simply because these two places are not far from each other. A classic consequence is a bladder infection. This can usually be easily remedied with medication such as antibiotics. ” explains the microbiologist.
Pathogenic variant
E.coli can also be harmful if it is a pathogenic variant that releases additional toxins: “ For example, there is the STEC variant. Typical symptoms include bloody diarrhea and cramps “In two out of ten cases, hemolytic uremic syndrome is contracted and causes kidney failure and ultimately death: “ I can’t say anything about Djoen’s personal situation, because I don’t know his medical history. But when I hear his family’s story, there is certainly a chance that he was diagnosed with such a variant. ».
The most typical form of contamination is through food with the consumption of raw foods (uncooked ground beef or leafy vegetables, for example). You can also be contaminated during a trip, most often in southern countries. But the microbiologist reassures, the chances of being contaminated by this variant and contracting complications are minimal: ” It is rare that we are faced with such extreme consequences in Belgium. ».
