Discard your romaine, it could be contaminated by E. coli

Romaine lettuce makes people seriously ill again, prompting public health officials in the United States and Canada to issue national alerts: do not eat any form of romaine lettuce and discard one. If you do not know what type of lettuce is in your refrigerator, discard it. Even if you had big plans for a romance-themed side dish for Thanksgiving – you know who you are – do not take any chances.

Up to now, 32 people in the United States and 18 in Canada have been infected with a dangerous strain of E. coli which produces toxins called Shiga toxins and can sometimes cause kidney failure. Other symptoms can range from bloody diarrhea and vomiting to low fever. So far, no one has died, but the outbreak has sent 13 people to the United States and five to Canada to the hospital. Two people – one in each country – developed kidney failure.

Public health investigators asked people what they had eaten and 79% of them said they had Roman – at the restaurant and at home. So far, nobody knows if there is a common link. E. coli is naturally found in the intestines of animals, and one of the grossest ways to spread is poop. Products may be contaminated if water contaminated with cocoa enters the field where it is grown, or if the product comes into contact with contaminated surfaces during harvesting, shipping or at the store. "At the present time, no producer, supplier, distributor or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified," according to a statement from the CDC. That's why the CDC recommends a general moratorium on the consumption of romaine lettuce, lettuce mixed with romaine lettuce or lettuce that could be romaine lettuce, but you're not sure.

Many strains of E. coli will not hurt humans when ingested, but the one involved in this outbreak is an exception. The particular strain is called E. coli O157: H7. And even if investigators do not know where it comes from, they know they've seen it before. He is a close genetic parent E. coli it sickened 25 people and killed one in the United States at the end of 2017. This outbreak also affected Canada – it infected 42 people and killed one. In the United States, the infection was attributed to leafy vegetables, but those who remained a mystery. In Canada, public health investigators have associated it with romaine lettuce. (the E. coli The outbreak of O157: H7 that was transmitted by romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona between March and June 2018 is not related to the epidemic announced today.)

The CDC urges all people who suspect they have been infected to talk to their doctor and try to remember what they have eaten. And the CDC warns clinicians against the mere distribution of antibiotics, as they would apparently run the risk of kidney failure worst.