Posted on 09/20/2006 12:12:04 AM PDT by stlnative
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tainted spinach may harbor very virulent E. coli strain
By ANDREW BRIDGES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials are investigating whether a more potent strain of E. coli is behind an outbreak linked to fresh spinach that has sickened at least 131 people, half of whom have been hospitalized.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that fully 50 percent of those reported sick in the outbreak were hospitalized. That's more than the 25 percent to 30 percent seen in other E. coli outbreaks, said Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
"We're running higher than that," Acheson told reporters in a conference call. "One possibility is this is a virulent strain."
Also unexpected was the 15 percent of food poisoning victims who developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Five percent is more typical, Acheson said.
He cautioned that the numbers could be skewed by underreporting of less-severe cases of illness: "It's too early to say at this point."
Reports of illness continued to trickle into the CDC -- the tally was up from Monday's 114 sickened, though the death toll remained at one, a 77-year-old woman from Wisconsin.
E. coli cases linked to tainted spinach have been reported in 21 states, including two confirmed cases in Washington state: a 23-year-old Oak Harbor woman in Island County and a case in Longview.
Two cases of E. coli in Benton County have been confirmed, the Benton-Franklin Health District reported. But it will take a week or more before further testing proves a bacteria match with the contaminated bagged spinach from California, health district officials said.
Officials said that the cases appeared to have occurred earlier but were only now being reported and that consumers were no longer being exposed to contaminated spinach. No one appears to have fallen ill since Sept. 5, according to the CDC.
Still, the FDA continued to warn people not to eat raw spinach.
Natural Selection Foods LLC, a San Juan Bautista, Calif., company whose multiple brands many people reported eating before falling sick, has recalled spinach products distributed throughout the United States. The company also distributed spinach to Canada, Mexico and Taiwan.
River Ranch Fresh Foods of Salinas, Calif., recalled spring salad mixes containing spinach purchased from Natural Selection.
On Tuesday, a third company said it was voluntarily recalling salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection.
RLB Food Distributors LP, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said the recall included various salad mixes sold under the Balducci's and FreshPro brands and distributed on the East Coast.
Meanwhile, FDA inspectors visited nine California farms Tuesday, seeking signs of past flooding or cases where contaminated surface areas had come into contact with crops, said Robert Brackett, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
They were on the lookout for animal droppings in the fields; checking on sanitary conditions inside the plants where produce is processed; and taking samples from produce itself, as well as from common areas in the processing plants that could harbor bacteria.
Some Salinas Valley, Calif., farmers started plowing their spinach crops under and preparing to plant broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.
Spinach farmers were also laying off field hands, but most quickly found work picking other crops in what is typically a busy harvest season, said Marc Grossman of the United Farm Workers union.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue to provide the public with regular updates on the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak each day until further notice.
Case Reports To date, 131 cases of illness due to E. coli infection have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 20 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), 66 hospitalizations, and one death. Illnesses continue to be reported to CDC. This is considered to be an ongoing investigation.
States Affected There are 21 confirmed states: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
My personal, unasked for personal opinion is that anybody who eats raw spinach deserves the runs.
well aren't you sweet!
I guess they deserve to have kidney failure also.
Well, I'm smart enough to stay away from raw spinach. I didn't say anything about their kidneys, but if that's the way your mind works, that's your problem.
Any bagged lettuce or Cali grown lettuce is probably not selling to well rigt now either.
Get over yourself.
see post 9
I hear you, raw spinach can turn a great salad into a terrible one. No amount of dressing can coverup the horrible taste:)
Careful, you'll be accused of wanting people to die!
I learned a long time ago "no body cares pal". By that I mean don't even try to defend or explain yourself unless asked. :) Just a bit of hard earned advice.
I think raw spinach is gross. Why are you so excited about this? This story is already a week old, so you're a little late with your chicken little act. Lighten up and get over yourself. That's all I have to say. I apologize if I offended you, but you seem to take yourself way too seriously.
I appreciate your posting this- and I'm forwarding it to Mrs.B, who works where there is a commercial kitchen. The information is important to get out.
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