The outbreak of romaine lettuce E. coli is over as new evidence points to contaminated water

By Lena H. Sun | The Washington Post

The largest epidemic of E. Coli for more than a decade is over, the federal authorities announced Thursday, after five people died and more than 200 others were sick in three dozen states

. E. coli comes from contaminated Roman lettuce grown in the Yuma, Arizona, area near the border with Southern California, the Food and Drug Administration has not been able to link the epidemic on a farm, a processor or a distributor. New evidence has shown that bacteria taken from several channel water samples in the Yuma region correspond to the bacterial strain causing the outbreak, according to a statement from the FDA's commissioner , Scott Gottlieb, published Thursday

"More work needs to be done to determine how and why this strain of E. coli 0157: H7 could have entered this water plan and how this has led to the contamination of romaine lettuce from several farms, "he said.FDA officials, who have been investigating the source of the outbreak since mid-March, are trying to determine if the canal water was used to irrigate lettuce fields.The Yuma area – which includes farms across the Colorado River in southeastern California – cultivates the overwhelming majority of lettuce and other leafy vegetables consumed in the United States during the winter months.The harvest season has ended and the contaminated lettuce that made people sick in this epidemic should no longer be available , according to the authorities.

Bill Marler, eminent lawyer t food safety specialist who represents 105 patients disgusted by lettuce not surprised that the probable link was contamination of the environment wide, such as by water, considering the number of people sick and the number of farms and unnamed fields involved.

Diseases began in mid-March. The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that 96 people have been hospitalized, 27 of whom have developed a form of severe renal failure that may endanger the lives of immunocompromised individuals, such as young children and adolescents. the elderly. Isolated deaths have been reported in Arkansas, California and New York, and two people have died in Minnesota. The last reported illness started on June 6th. Some people who became ill did not report eating romaine lettuce, but had been in close contact with a sick person.

Authorities initially stated that only bagged and pre-chopped romaine lettuce distributed to retailers across the country was contaminated with E. coli, but a number of inmates in an Alaska prison are also became ill after eating whole lettuce.

The epidemic is the worst epidemic of E. 205 people became ill and five died after contracting E. coli from young spinach.

E. Coli is a type of bacterium that is found in undercooked beef, raw milk, soft cheeses made from raw milk, raw fruits and vegetables and l & # 39; contaminated water. The infection can also spread from one person to another by germs on the hands. Most E. coli bacteria are not harmful, but one type, known as E. coli O157: H7, produces a toxin called Shiga, which destroys red blood cells and causes kidney failure and bloody diarrhea. Other types of E. coli cause urinary tract infections, respiratory diseases and pneumonia.