I’ve gotten quite a lot of questions out and in of the workplace not too long ago about E. coli and the present state of the open water swim venue in Paris. And so I believed it could be useful to provide a fast overview of what’s occurring.
Initially, what’s it? Escherichia coli (E. coli) in medical phrases is a rod formed gram-negative micro organism. It obtained its identify Escherichia, from the German pediatrician Theodor Escherich, who found the micro organism in 1885. Its second identify, coli, means “from the colon”, which is the organism’s pure habitat. 
Anybody who has been by way of medical college possible realized about E. coli by studying the e-book “Scientific Microbiology Made Ridiculously Easy,” they usually have been proven a cartoon picture right here of a baguette formed micro organism with tails. They’re what are often known as “enteric” micro organism, which is simply one other manner of claiming that E. coli usually reside within the intestines of wholesome individuals.
Most E. coli are innocent and are a part of a wholesome intestinal tract. These E. coli assist digest meals, produce nutritional vitamins, and shield us from dangerous germs. They assist us break down meals for absorption, and importantly, they’re usually excreted in our waste. However some E. coli could make individuals sick, together with about six varieties that trigger diarrhea.
Publicity to those sorts of “pathogenic” E. coli may cause points by way of totally different mechanisms. Some connect to the surface of the intestinal cells and produce a toxin that damages surrounding cells, resulting in diarrhea. Others invade intestinal lining cells and injure them instantly, inflicting… diarrhea. Diarrhea is dangerous as a result of it results in a lack of important quantities of fluid from the physique in addition to wanted minerals that may result in an imbalance.
And that is the place the distinctive historical past of Paris performs a task. Each time I’ve been to Paris I make time to cease by the Musée des Egouts de Paris, which is The Paris Museum of Sewers (https://musee-egouts.paris.
But when strolling by way of the sewers of Paris is just not in your bucket checklist, I can sum up the issue for you. Because of the age of town of Paris, and the evolution of the waste administration system by way of the 1800’s, there are durations of time when heavy rainfall will inundate the distinctive mixed sewer and rainwater system and trigger an overflow within the Seine. And with it would come a rise within the ranges of E. coli within the river. The exams they conduct aren’t capable of discern the distinction between good and unhealthy E. coli. So the idea needs to be that the unhealthy E. coli exist.
Usually, this wouldn’t be a lot of a difficulty. As a result of usually, there wouldn’t be an Olympic triathlon or open water swim occasion with your entire world watching. 
The excellent news is, we’re nonetheless a month away from the Olympics. In keeping with European requirements and the World Triathlon Federation, the protected restrict for E. coli is 900 colony-forming items per 100 milliliters. And the degrees vacillate considerably over days, as seen within the chart under. Couple this regular variation with the chance of July bringing extra solar, much less rainfall, and hotter climate, there’s a excessive likelihood that the E. coli ranges might be all the way down to acceptable ranges within the coming weeks. As nicely, there may be the choice to delay the beginning of the open water swim occasions if tendencies present that an appropriate degree could be attainable, in keeping with Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet.
Whereas we shouldn’t be afraid of most E. coli, these security limits exist for a purpose. And there are nonetheless a number of weeks for the difficulty to appropriate itself. Time will inform how this can play out.
