Did Farm Water Cause Spinach E. coli Outbreak?

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Public Health;  Water - Air Quality / Agriculture;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 19 Sep 2006 - 7:00 PDT


Nobody yet knows what caused the E. coli poisoning outbreak. We know that people who ate bagged fresh spinach got ill, we know most of the spinach comes from farms in the Salinas Valley, California - but that is as far as it goes. As the investigation widens some scientists are starting to point the finger at the water on the farms.

Since 1995 there have been over 8 E. coli outbreaks which originated in Salinas Valley farms.

The source of the current outbreak could be the water, processing problems, inadequate chlorination, or inadequate washing.

Many years ago any outbreak would have covered a small geographical area. These days products in supermarkets can come from thousands of miles away. If an outbreak starts off in a farm, it can spread all over the country, and beyond.

So far, 114 people across the USA have had E. coli O157:H7 strain poisoning as a result of consuming fresh bagged spinach. One person has died. A second death, in Ohio, may have been caused by the same bacterium (no confirmation yet). 18 of these patients had Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). 60 people have been hospitalized. The CDC says illnesses continue to be reported.
(Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome is acute failure of the kidneys)

Officials say nothing indicates there has been foul play, i.e. they do not believe criminals have deliberately caused it.

Previous outbreaks originating in California were most likely caused by floodwaters coming into farms from creeks and rivers. Flooding can cause crops to come into contact with sewage, animal waste and a host of other nasty things. People are now wondering whether there have been floods this year in the farms of the Salinas Valley. If so, did the farmers destroy their crops or did they sell them? Perhaps the ongoing investigations will find out.

The 21 states affected so far are:

-- California
-- Connecticut
-- Idaho
-- Illinois
-- Indiana
-- Kentucky
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- Nebraska
-- Nevada
-- New Mexico
-- New York
-- Ohio
-- Oregon
-- Pennsylvania
-- Utah
-- Virginia
-- Washington
-- Wisconsin
-- Wyoming

The FDA is advising people not to consume fresh spinach or products that contain fresh spinach until further notice. The affected products were also exported to Canada, Mexico and Taiwan. So far, no illnesses have been reported in these three countries.

-- Lettuce Safety Initiative (FDA)
-- Questions and Answers About This Outbreak

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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