E. coli: the guardian of the gut or a devil in disguise?
ImmunoWars
Making health sciences accessible & sexy through gaming innovations and science communication.
Author: Liliana Sánchez Rocha
Read time: 4?minutes?
You find yourself on an adventurous trip, discovering the surprises of a faraway land. Part of the thrill of this journey is sampling the local cuisine. While strolling across the bustling streets, you can’t help but be seduced by exotic and delicious food smells. The smells lure you into a modest but vibrant food stand right in the intersection of two dusty and not very clean roads. The scenery makes you doubt, but the aroma is too good to ignore… In the end, this trip is about risks! So, you decide to join the locals and enjoy their delicious food. Ignorant to the microworld around you, you take the first bite without imagining that the refreshing breeze is seasoning your food with some E. coli, or perhaps these bugs are already hiding in the undercooked meat you are salivating for. After a few bites, your fate is sealed: for the next couple of days, the toilet will be the only tourist attraction you′ll visit, and diarrhea and puking the only activities on your itinerary. You have fallen prey to the “traveler’s diarrhea” curse. In the best scenario, it will take a few days to get over it, but there is a chance that this will turn into bloody diarrhea, the most dangerous form of E. coli. But what is this evil creature? Is it really evil or simply misunderstood?
What is E. coli?
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a rod-shaped bacterium that resembles a grain of rice, only 100,000 times smaller! It’s typically covered in tiny, thin hairs that help it cling to a surface. Some types of?E. coli have longer hairs that could look like little tails. These “tails” (also known as flagella) have the power to propel the bacteria through fluids, like a submarine navigating its surroundings. But one of its most fascinating characteristics is its ability to multiply at an astonishing rate, it can take just 20 minutes to duplicate! Under perfect conditions, this means that just in 10 hours a single E. coli could build an army of over a billion bacteria! This rapid growth is quite impressive when considering that one of your own cells takes about 24 hours to complete a full division cycle.
How harmful is E. coli to humans?
Surprisingly enough, E. coli is a normal and welcome resident of the healthy gut of most vertebrates. In fact, E. coli is like the interior designer of the large intestine; it creates a cozy environment for other fellow friendly bacteria to live happily. The body needs these friendly bacteria, also called “microbiome,” to help out in the digestion of elements that the body can’t digest on its own. Basically, your microbiome is fed by you and in return, these bugs release nutrients and other important elements that keep us healthy. Besides setting up a good environment for others, E. coli also produces vitamins B2 and K2, and plays a role in holding the “bad guys” at bay due to their competitive personality. E coli can be very protective of its food and space, thus in its effort to protect “its territory” it ends up preventing invasions of nasty intruders. So far… E coli seems to be a friendly little hairy creature! Something different from what you might have heard on the news… or perhaps in a personal experience, why is that so?
This can be explained because E. coli is not just one type of bacteria, but is instead a massive family composed of hundreds of members! Most of them peaceful and helpful, but some others have developed dark personalities. Instead of keeping peace and balance in the gut, they go around destroying and harming the body. Those rebels are known as pathogenic variations. But there is a catch… even the peaceful residents of your gut can turn to the dark side. When they are ripped from the comfort of the gut, their friendly nature vanishes, revealing a far more dangerous side, turning against the very body they once served!
Then, are they our friends or our enemies? Most are friends as long as they remain in the gut. But there is a small pathogenic gang that is undeniably our enemy!
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Next chapters
The world of E. coli is more intriguing and dramatic than you might have imagined. In addition to its role in health and disease E. coli has been a key microorganism in the development of technology to understand life itself. In this series of short articles, we’ll explore how E. coli can shift from good to bad, take you to the front lines of its attacks, and give you a glimpse into how this tiny bacterium has changed the world of science.?
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Gameplay Guide:?Attack with E. coli in ImmunoWars?
In the battlefield of ImmunoWars, E. coli is the ultimate devil in disguise. When you play this card, you’ve got two delightfully devious tactics to choose from. For just 3 ATP, you can sprinkle a little fecal surprise on your opponent's tasty meal and gleefully declare, “Eat shit!” Grossed out yet? Your horrified enemy will be hit with a ferocious E. coli attack, costing them 2 health points (HP) in one fell swoop. And since this is an hemorrhagic assault, the doctor's orders are clear—no antibiotics for three rounds!
But if you’re feeling more strategic (and sinister), shell out 5 ATP to inflict a chronic anemia that lasts forever. Mwahaha! Your opponent will lose 2 ATP (energy) every single round, potentially draining them dry before they can even think about infecting you with anything nasty.
Beware, though—this card has a contagiousness rating of 1, marked by those ominous biohazard circles in the bottom left corner. If you dare to attack the same player with another disease, you might just co-infect yourself! Worth the risk? Only time will tell.
Counterattacking, you ask? E. coli comes with a severity of 2, as indicated by the 2 stars in the bottom right corner. To fend off the first ability of this bacterial menace, you’ll need to make use of immunocards or action cards, consumable are useless! However, if you got the second ability you can also make use of medicine that can tackle bacteria of at least 2 stars. Who’s ready to play?? Get ImmunoWars here.
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