e coli

[moodygirl]

I’ve been living with bronchiectasis for most of my 73 years and colonised pseudomonas the past 10 years or so. I’ve been doing ok but I've had a couple of chest infections since November for which I’ve taken my emergency antibiotics, namely co-amoxiclav. I had to submit a sputum sample recently and was told I had grown E. coli and to take another course of co-amoxiclav. I’ve never heard of E. coli in the lungs before, it freaked me out to be honest. Has anyone here had it?

[Swizzy]

Hi moodygirl. Yes I agree. I have never heard of having ecoli in the lungs after 73 years of bronch and colonised with pseudo since 1986. Not to say that it can’t happen. Lab results can be notoriously innaccurate in bronch. I am just finishing two weeks IV meropenem because although absolutely nothing was turning up, I was quite poorly and my bronch consultant decided to go pseudo chasing anyway. There has been a drastic improvement on it. Pseudomonas can put a coating on itself which disguises it and also form partnerships with other bugs which make strange things turn up. Co-amoxyclav is not effective against pseudo, cipro being the only truly effective oral drug against it. I do hope that you have a proper bronchiectasis consultant and are not relying on a general respiratory consultant or your GP, especially as you seem to be entering the more complex territory which can plague us bronchs. If you think that it is time for a change to someone who is better trained and experienced in bronch do go about finding one and insisting that you are referred.

[davannh]

I have had ecoli in my lungs several times. The theory is it comes from acid reflux. (Probably at night) Adjust your sleeping position, talk to the doctor about taking something like Omeprazole. I agree with Swizzy that you need to see a consultant who is an expert with Bronchiectasis. Oral antibiotics no longer work for me and I generally need a two week course of IV antibiotics. Nebulised antibiotics help once your lungs are clear of infection to help ward off future infections.

[Ergendl]

E.coli is very opportunistic. It could be possible to breathe quantities of it in, say at a farming midden where cow excrement is stored prior to spreading on the fields. If your immunity was low, it would take a lower infective load (fewer of the little bs) to cause an infection. It's more usually spread on unwashed hands and affects the digestion.

[PaulineHM]

Hi,

No I have never heard of it but then there is lots I don’t know !

It sounds very unpleasant, I hope it clears soon for you.

Go well

Pauline

[Maximonkey]

Hi, yes I too had e-coli in my lungs but taking Azithromycin seems to have stopped it progressing. Do you take Azith? Try not to worry but do keep in touch with your doctor even if he\she only listens to your concerns. They should put your mind at rest. Take care, Maximonkey

[janedivney]

I’ve had an active e-coli lung infection too, twice. I had to have intravenous antibiotics but I can’t remember which! I asked my consultant how on earth something like that could get into my lungs but she just said these bacterial strains are everywhere and if you have severely damaged lungs you’re very susceptible. I also have an immune deficiency, which doesn’t help 😬

[moodygirl]

Thanks everyone for your responses & advice. I saw a bronch specialist recently and it was him who asked me to submit the sputum sample. I phoned the hospital last Monday to ask the result and the consultant is now on holiday. It was the bronch nurse who said I was sensitive to co-amoxiclav. I’m hoping the consultant will get back to me on his return.