Expert: Chris Manley - 10/2/2007

Question
I was extremely ill with blood in my stool -test results show ecoli 0157  the only thing I can link it to is I inadvertently ate raw chicken in a burrito (completely raw) doctors say yes that could be the link- I just thought salmonella was for chicken- darla

Answer
While cattle are more commonly associated with e. coli outbreaks, chicken are also prone to carrying a large number of pathogenic organisms including e. coli, salmonella, campylobacter.  This contamination comes from a wide range of sources, from bacteria they carry naturally to conditions where the chicken is raised and processing techniques.  

You should always assume chicken is contaminated with bacteria that will make you sick, it should always be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees.