E. coli prompts warning: avoid bagged spinach
By Patrick May
Mercury News
Federal health officials on Thursday announced a nationwide outbreak of a potentially deadly strain of E. coli that has killed one person and sickened 50 people in eight states, who fell ill after apparently eating packaged spinach.
At least one possible case has been reported in California, where federal and state authorities are investigating links between the E. coli outbreaks and the farming and production of leafy greens in Salinas Valley.
Calling the latest outbreak ``significant,'' David Acheson of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the number of reported cases was ``increasing by the day. We don't know -- we may be at the peak or we may not.''
Advising consumers not to eat bagged spinach until further notice, health officials said they could not yet trace the contaminated produce to a specific producer or to a particular area of the country.
``Bagged spinach is the most likely source here,'' Acheson said. ``We recommend the public not eat or consume bagged spinach. If you cook E. coli, you'll kill it. But we are not advising people to cook a product that may have it in it. We're advising them, `Don't eat it.' ''
After receiving calls from concerned consumers, some Bay Area grocers were contacting their corporate headquarters Thursday evening, trying to decide whether to remove spinach from their shelves.
Acheson said, ``We have no indication at this point as to what the source is, nor which states may have shipped out the produce.''
Salinas farming practices are currently a focus of concern for state and federal health officials after eight outbreaks of E. coli 0157:H7 since 1995 were traced to the valley, sometimes called the ``Salad Bowl of the World.'' More than 200 people have gotten sick in eight states, including two who died at a retirement home in Northern California in 2003, after eating sealed bags of greens grown and packaged in Salinas Valley. The suspicion is that the contamination may have originated in the farm soil or packing plants where the lettuce is gathered, washed and sealed in plastic bags.
Last year, after nearly three dozen people in Minnesota became sick after eating packaged Dole salad from Salinas, federal officials stepped up their examination of farming and processing methods in the area.
Although they've been able to trace the E. coli strain to Salinas in the past, investigators say they have no idea where it's specifically coming from -- possibly from infected animals near the fields, contaminated soil from past flooding, or even workers' dirty hands.
``The trace-backs are very complicated,'' said Jack Guzewich, one of the top FDA scientists involved in the ongoing state-federal survey of Salinas farmers and packagers. ``We can trace it back to the valley, but on any given day there are multiple fields that could be producing the contaminated lettuce and we can't point to one field as the culprit. Everyone has their pet theory, and they're all on the table, but we just don't know the cause.''
E. coli contamination can be particularly alarming because a small amount can sicken someone. The strain involved in these outbreaks can be passed on several ways, such as from cow manure to humans who ingest it. Complications include severe diarrhea and in the most serious cases, victims have been hospitalized and put on dialysis for kidney failure. Deaths are rare; young children and the elderly are more susceptible to serious complications.
The outbreak announced Thursday involved cases reported since Aug. 23 in eight states -- Connecticut, Idaho, Utah, Indiana, New Mexico, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin, which reported the most cases, 20, and the one death. No other details were released.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/15525294.htm
By Patrick May
Mercury News
Federal health officials on Thursday announced a nationwide outbreak of a potentially deadly strain of E. coli that has killed one person and sickened 50 people in eight states, who fell ill after apparently eating packaged spinach.
At least one possible case has been reported in California, where federal and state authorities are investigating links between the E. coli outbreaks and the farming and production of leafy greens in Salinas Valley.
Calling the latest outbreak ``significant,'' David Acheson of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the number of reported cases was ``increasing by the day. We don't know -- we may be at the peak or we may not.''
Advising consumers not to eat bagged spinach until further notice, health officials said they could not yet trace the contaminated produce to a specific producer or to a particular area of the country.
``Bagged spinach is the most likely source here,'' Acheson said. ``We recommend the public not eat or consume bagged spinach. If you cook E. coli, you'll kill it. But we are not advising people to cook a product that may have it in it. We're advising them, `Don't eat it.' ''
After receiving calls from concerned consumers, some Bay Area grocers were contacting their corporate headquarters Thursday evening, trying to decide whether to remove spinach from their shelves.
Acheson said, ``We have no indication at this point as to what the source is, nor which states may have shipped out the produce.''
Salinas farming practices are currently a focus of concern for state and federal health officials after eight outbreaks of E. coli 0157:H7 since 1995 were traced to the valley, sometimes called the ``Salad Bowl of the World.'' More than 200 people have gotten sick in eight states, including two who died at a retirement home in Northern California in 2003, after eating sealed bags of greens grown and packaged in Salinas Valley. The suspicion is that the contamination may have originated in the farm soil or packing plants where the lettuce is gathered, washed and sealed in plastic bags.
Last year, after nearly three dozen people in Minnesota became sick after eating packaged Dole salad from Salinas, federal officials stepped up their examination of farming and processing methods in the area.
Although they've been able to trace the E. coli strain to Salinas in the past, investigators say they have no idea where it's specifically coming from -- possibly from infected animals near the fields, contaminated soil from past flooding, or even workers' dirty hands.
``The trace-backs are very complicated,'' said Jack Guzewich, one of the top FDA scientists involved in the ongoing state-federal survey of Salinas farmers and packagers. ``We can trace it back to the valley, but on any given day there are multiple fields that could be producing the contaminated lettuce and we can't point to one field as the culprit. Everyone has their pet theory, and they're all on the table, but we just don't know the cause.''
E. coli contamination can be particularly alarming because a small amount can sicken someone. The strain involved in these outbreaks can be passed on several ways, such as from cow manure to humans who ingest it. Complications include severe diarrhea and in the most serious cases, victims have been hospitalized and put on dialysis for kidney failure. Deaths are rare; young children and the elderly are more susceptible to serious complications.
The outbreak announced Thursday involved cases reported since Aug. 23 in eight states -- Connecticut, Idaho, Utah, Indiana, New Mexico, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin, which reported the most cases, 20, and the one death. No other details were released.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/15525294.htm
