Experts have slammed an Olympic triathlete for admitting he’s stopped washing his hands as part of a warm-up routine to tackle swimming in the Seine.
US athlete Seth Rider claimed he was ‘trying to increase my E. coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E. coli in your day-to-day life’.
The bug — which can be found in water — usually causes a fever, sickness and diarrhoea. Its symptoms typically fade naturally within days.
But scientists reacted with fury labelling the method ‘absurd’ and ‘frankly dangerous’ and said there was ‘no science to support this bizarre strategy’.
It comes as the men’s individual triathlon race at this year’s Games was postponed on Tuesday after failing to meet the required hygiene levels in Paris’ River Seine.
US athlete Seth Rider (pictured) claimed he was ‘trying to increase my E. coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E. coli in your day-to-day life’. The bug — which can be found in water — usually causes a fever, sickness and diarrhoea. Its symptoms typically fade naturally within days
Mr Rider said: ‘We know there is going to be some E.coli exposure. So I just try to increase my E.coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E.coli in your day-to-day life.’ The 27-year-old added: ‘Just little things throughout your day, like, not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom and stuff like this’
Experts have long been concerned by shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC), a rare strain of the diarrhoea-causing bug. STEC is considered to be extremely infectious, and in up to 15 per cent of cases, the bug can cause haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition that can lead to kidney failure
Mr Rider said: ‘We know there is going to be some E.coli exposure.
‘So I just try to increase my E.coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E.coli in your day-to-day life.’
The 27-year-old added: ‘Just little things throughout your day, like, not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom and stuff like this.’
Professor Paul Hunter, a renowned infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, however, told MailOnline: ‘That is absolute nonsense.
‘E.coli rarely causes disease but if E. coli is present in the water other nastier bugs may well be there.
‘We already carry E. Coli in our gut. So “building up tolerance to E. coli” would not reduce risk from these other pathogens that could be in the water.
‘Washing hands after toilet is primarily so you do not infect others if you are already infected.
‘So what he us doing is not going to reduce his risk but could increase the risk to others.’
Professor Christopher Stewart, chair of Human Microbiome Research at Newcastle University, meanwhile said: ‘Some strains of E. coli cause serious infection.
‘There is no science to support this bizarre strategy and promotion for careless hygiene is frankly dangerous.’
Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist from the University of Reading, also told MailOnline: ‘It’s absurd to suggest that lowering your own levels of personal hygiene is a way to protect yourself against exposure to dangerous pathogens.
‘The presence of E. Coli in water contaminated with sewage is an indicator of the levels of loads of other pathogens too, so the risk goes much further.
‘E. coli can cause much more severe illness than a gippy tummy, it can lead to kidney failure and it’s important to remember that sewage water also contains other nasty things like tapeworms and hepatitis.’
Experts have long been concerned by shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC), a rare strain of the diarrhoea-causing bug.
STEC is considered to be extremely infectious, and in up to 15 per cent of cases, the bug can cause haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition that can lead to kidney failure.
A small proportion of adults may develop a similar condition called thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP).
Dr Mato Lagator, an expert in bacterial evolution and their ability to become resistant at the University of Manchester, told MailOnline: ‘E. coli is a highly diverse bacterial “species”, with most members not being pathogenic.
‘Ingesting random E. coli strains is unlikely to capture pathogenic strains.
‘And even if it did, those strains are unlikely to be captured in a high enough quantity to survive the acidity in the stomach to reach the gut.
‘Equally importantly, adult human immune systems do not develop immunity to E. coli in a way that they do to some viruses for example.’
Rider isn’t among the favourites backed for a medal in Paris, with Team GB’s Alex Yee backed to earn individual gold for the first time on the back of his silver in Tokyo at the 2020 Games.
According to World Triathlon Federation standards, E. coli levels beyond 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters are considered unsafe.
Organisers had the option to drop the swimming and make the event a duathlon. But it will go ahead as planned today.
Efforts to clean the water included the creation of a giant basin to capture rainwater while preventing wastewater from finding its way into the river.
Sewer infrastructure was also renovated and wastewater treatment plants were upgraded.
However, organisers knew heavy rain in the days before a competition could still cause the levels of the harmful bacteria E. Coli to rise.
Swimming in the Seine, which dissects the city, has been banned since 1923.
It comes as at least 57 athletes last year fell ill suffering diarrhoea after swimming in the sea during the World Triathlon Championships in Sunderland.
Roughly 2,000 people took part in the major tournament last August at Roker Beach, which was given a prestigious Blue Flag award for its cleanliness just two years ago.
A test run by the UK’s Environment Agency just three days before the event revealed that there were 3,900 E. Coli colonies per 100ml, nearly 40 times higher than typical readings from June.
British Triathlon, which runs official triathlons in the UK, said these results were only published after the event took place and that the tests were run outside the area that its sea swimming event happened.
