E. coli O145 Outbreak in the United Kingdon Attributed to Contaminated Lettuce
At least 256 victims have been identified (a small portion of the number of suspected illness) in an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O145 (STEC) that has hospitalized at least 86 consumers. Officilas do believe the worst is past, as all the victims identified so far have onsets of May 31 or before. According to the UK Health Security Agency, this is good news – of a sort. It noted: “Although the rate of cases has now slowed, we expect the figure to rise as NHS laboratories refer specimens to UKHSA for genomic sequencing which can link cases to this outbreak strain.”
The UKHSA is near certain, due to testing of food products, that the origin of the outbreak is lettuce. It remains unclear, at present, how the lettuce became contaminated in the first place.
“This is not uncommon,” says U.S. National food poisoning lawyer Anthony Coveny, “and comports with our experience on this side of the pond.” Coveny notes that there have been a number of high-profile outbreaks of E. coli and Salmonella linked to leafy greens in the United States in recent years, and that the identification of HOW the leafy greens became infected often relies on probabilities. For example, the use of potentially contaminated wastewater, or proximity to animal farms, etc… Often the “exact or precise evidence,” says Coveny, has degraded.
“Nonetheless, epidemiological evidence establishing that leafy greens were the cause of the outbreak is irrefutable.”
Epidemiologists in the UK are certain they have identified the implicated product, and “precautionary action” has now been taken to avoid further illness. They also have issued a warning for people to e on the lookout for bloody diarrhea, especially in children, who are most susceptible to the most severe illness, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly side effect of Shiga toxin.
