Tag Archives: e-coli

International

Government Incompetence: Germany back to blaming sprouts for E Coli, no evidence

“The whole thing is a big scandal.  People were very unsettled.  Every day something different was announced.  Now I hear on the radio that it was the sprouts.  But people were even buying less fruit.  That is simply insane.’’ Riza Cetinkaya, Berlin grocer who says sales have dropped 70%

Out of frustration the German health officials are back to blaming sprouts for the deadly e. coli outbreak.  The problem is that they are simply guessing, again.

Officials say the sprouts are the ‘most likely’ source, but at the same time admit the produce has tested negative for e. coli.

How did they come to their conclusion?  They made a map showing the concentration of infection cases, then basically concluded that the sprout farm near the center ‘must’ be the source.  Police detectives know you can’t rely solely on lines drawn on a map.

Consumer Protection officials then announced that they had found a contaminated container of sprouts, in the trash can of a family that is infected.  The officials concluded that it was ‘proof’ that the sprouts were the cause.  Is it possible the sprout container itself is the source of contamination?  Remember e. coli is spread by contact with fecal matter, or animal/human waste.  What else was in the trash can?

One government official, Reinhard Burger, of the Robert Koch Institute, admitted that the window of opportunity to link fecal waste and contact with produce, was gone.  So all officials can do now is guess.

The sprout farm, in Lower Saxony, has been shut down and sealed off.

 

International, Opinion

Government Incompetence: Germany gets it wrong with deadly E Coli. Could it be a modern day Typhoid Mary?

First Germany blamed Spanish cucumbers; wrong!  Then Germany blamed locally grown sprouts; wrong!  Now Germany is facing a lawsuit by Spain, and German vegetable growers are tossing tons of fresh produce in the trash.  On top of that people are still dying!

By June 8, 25 people in Germany, and one person in Sweden had died.  More than 2,600 people in Germany are sick.

A new twist; back to cucumbers.  This time German health officials say they’ve found traces of the new strain (similar to 0104:H4) on cucumber leftovers belonging to a family that was among the first to get sick.

Here’s an issue: E. Coli (Escherichia coli) does not originate on vegetables!  It comes from the intestines of animals (humans included).  Vegetables would only get infected if they came into contact with infected fecal matter (i.e. crap).

Some possibilities:  Vegetables were for some reason being shipped along side products containing infected fecal matter?  Some Fertilizers used on crops contained infected fecal matter?  How about someone infected didn’t do a good job of cleaning themselves up after taking care of business, and, didn’t wash their hands thus spreading their particular strain of E-Coli to others, by handling produce being eaten by a lot of people (a modern day Typhoid Mary)?  Maybe German officials should be looking at people who handle fresh produce prior to it being sold to consumers (specifically someone who handled cucumbers)?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Food Crisis: Deadly E-coli hits United States, FDA can’t inspect for new strain

“We usually consider that a rare complication, and to have 470 is absolutely extraordinary. This is a new public health problem.”-Robert Tauxe, CDC

Center for Disease Control believes three people in the U.S. have picked up the latest deadliest form of e-coli.  They had returned from Germany.

Michael Osterholm, at the University of Minnesota, says the e-coli outbreak in Europe is the deadliest on record.  1,624 cases are being reported by hospitals, but the actual number of infected people could be ten times higher.

Chinese scientist, working with German scientist, says the new e-coli strain is not only “super toxic”, but is resistant to treatment.  The strain is similar to the 0104:H4 strain, except for its resistance to antibiotics, which is why scientists think this is a new strain.

Earlier the Food and Drug Administration said it was inspecting vegetables from Europe for e-coli, but it’s been reveled that the FDA can not test for the new strain.  The FDA tests for e-coli 0157 strain (which is also deadly).

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Food Crisis: New Deadly Mutant E-Coli Outbreak

“This is a new strain, O157 was almost certainly one of its parents. It’s also got material from another type of E-coli. So you’ve got this germ that’s like O157 but has this extra weaponry, that makes it more nasty.”-Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia in England

E-coli O157 destroys your blood cells and kidneys, and might be the parent of the latest, deadliest form.

German press reports say World Health Organization officials have identified the e-coli, that has killed 17 Germans so far, as a new mutant strain, spawned by two deadly forms of e-coli.  The new strain has been seen before, but not at the level of an outbreak.

E-coli is a bacteria, and everyone has it (in our intestines), at least the non-lethal kind, but there are some very bad versions out there that will kill: “The vast majority of strains are harmless, but there are a select few that are armed and dangerous because of the particular genes they happen to have. These genes produce those toxins. If they produce these toxins, the outcome of infection, rather than just being a tummy upset, can be far more serious.”-Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in England

Now health officials are trying to found out where the new e-coli spawned.  Originally Spanish vegetables were thought to be the carriers (vegetables from Denmark and the Netherlands are suspect as well), but the epicenter of the outbreak is around Hamburg, Germany.  More than 1,000 people in Germany are sick, 470 have reached the stage where kidney failure could occur.

Spain has two cases, but officials say those people had just returned from Germany, prompting Spanish politicians to point the finger of blame to Germany.

Sweden is now reporting cases; one death of a woman who went to Spain, 43 people sick.  The United Kingdom reports seven cases.  Denmark has 14.  Netherlands has eight.  Austria, France, Norway and Switzerland are reporting cases, most of the people had just got back from trips to Germany.

Russia and the United Arab Emirates have banned vegetables from European Union.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it’s increasing inspections of vegetables coming from Europe.

Since e-coli is usually found on the surface of vegetables, the best way to protect yourself is to wash them before eating.

International

Global Food Crisis: Europe hit by drought & e-coli

French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire reporting that rain fall is only half what it was at the same time last year.  French wheat harvests will be down by at least 11%, and exports will be cut in half.

Russia is banning fresh produce from Germany and Spain. At least 14 Germans died from e-coli.  Initially the e-coli was traced to cucumbers, but is now showing up in other produce.