15 Sep 2006
E. coli outbreak spreads to 10th state

I've had people ask me how in the world E. coli gets into spinach. This CNN explainer does as good a job as any of, well, explaining:

  • Contaminated food. E. coli bacteria exist naturally in the intestine of many animals, including cattle. Meat can become contaminated with fecal matter containing the bacteria when cattle are slaughtered or processed. The problem is particularly serious in modern feedlots, where animals spend their lives in crowded, filthy conditions. Although beef in general may be contaminated, ground meat is a special concern because grinding combines meat from different animals and transfers bacteria from the meat's surface to its interior. The bacteria also can spread from one surface to another, which means that bacteria on a cow's udder or on equipment can end up in milk. Pasteurization kills the bacteria, but raw milk can be a source of infection. Other foods that may become contaminated with the bacteria include dry cured sausage, salami, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, and unpasteurized apple juice and apple cider.
  • Contaminated water. Runoff from feedlots can contaminate ground and surface water, including water used to irrigate crops. Drinking or inadvertently swallowing untreated water from lakes and streams can cause infection. So can eating unwashed raw fruits and vegetables. And although public water systems use chlorine, ultraviolet light or ozone to kill E. coli, some outbreaks have been linked to contaminated municipal water supplies. Private wells are a greater cause for concern. If you have a private well, have it tested once a year for pathogens, including E. coli. Your state health department can help you find a laboratory certified to conduct the tests.
  • Person-to-person contact. E. coli bacteria can easily travel from person to person, especially when infected adults and children don't wash their hands properly. Family members of young children with the infection are especially likely to become sick themselves. Children can shed the bacteria in their stools for up to two weeks after symptoms improve.

Note that two of the three pathways for contamination have to do with feedlots and CAFO's. Which is exactly what our Governor wants more of in Indiana.

What's wrong with this picture? Do we have to send bags of spinach to the Statehouse before he get's it?

Health officials are trying to find the source of a multistate E. coli outbreak and they're warning consumers that bagged spinach may be the source.

(link) [CNN.com]

14:04 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link