How is an E. coli infection treated?

How is an E. coli infection treated?

Fortunately, most E. coli infections go away on their own. You can help yourself manage E. coli infection by drinking plenty of fluids to replace what you’ve lost through diarrhea and/or vomiting. Also, get as much rest as possible.

Antibiotics are usually not given for STEC O157 infection because they can make your illness worse and put you at risk for hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Also, don’t take any medicines to stop diarrhea (such as bismuth subsalicylate [Pepto-Bismol®, Kaopectate®] or loperamide [Imodium®]), because it could keep the E. coli bacteria in your body and increase your chance of HUS.

You should start to feel better about five to seven days from the time you first developed symptoms.