Some Escherichia coli strains have developed the ability to cause disease of the gastrointestinal, urinary, or central nervous system in even very healthy people. They may produce various kinds of diarrhea and the hemolytic uremic syndrome - HUS. These types of E. coli emit shiga-like toxins that attack a person's red blood cells, causing kidney failure, stroke, seizures, anemia, heart attacks and damage to the central nervous system. E. coli O145 and O103 sickened 29 students who prepared deer in Minnesota. In 2006, E. coli O145 contaminated lettuce in Yuma, Arizona..Enhanced SEM. Image width: 13.5 micrometers. Magnification: 7,400x if the image is printed 10 cm wide.