The Morning Call

Let us explain the recent E. coli outbreaks

- By Stephanie Sigafoos

Earlier this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised people to stay away from romaine lettuce grown in three California counties: Monterey, Santa Barbara, and San Benito.

That's because an outbreak of an E. coli bacteria from romaine lettuce has already caused 59 people in 15 states, including four in Pennsylvan­ia, to get sick in the past two months.

There have been 23 hospitaliz­ations and no deaths.

The CDC update, in theory, should cause salad eaters to rejoice.

Basically, experts are saying romaine lettuce is safe to eat again, as long as the leaves aren't from select areas of California.

But what's causing these food-borne illness outbreaks, and why does E. coli keep getting in our lettuce?

An explainer:

What is O157:H7 — the type of E. coli responsibl­e for the latest illnesses? Escherichi­a

According to the CDC, (abbreviate­d as coli) are bacteria found in the environmen­t, foods and intestines of people and animals.

In other words, it's a bit of a broad and diverse group of bacteria.

Most strains of E. coli are actually harmless (so you don't always need to be worried if you hear about it), but this particular strain is causing people to develop symptoms such as as stomach cramps, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and kidney failure.

In severe cases, it can lead to death. It's considered most dangerous for elderly adults and children.

coli E. Where did O157:H7 come from?

The strain itself is not new (see the American Society for Microbiolo­gy on its lineage), but the latest occurrence has reportedly been traced to water and sediment at an irrigation reservoir at farms in the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California.

Authoritie­s say samples tested positive for the E. coli O157:H7 and was a nearly identical match to the strain found in people who have fallen ill.

Unfortunat­ely, officials say the contaminat­ed water at the farms does not fully explain all of the illnesses reported so far, nor do officials know how the reservoir became contaminat­ed with the bacteria.

The investigat­ion had identified 11 distributo­rs, nine growers and eight farms as potential sources as of Dec. 13, 2018.

Also consider that romaine and leaf lettuce now account for over 60 percent of per capita lettuce consumptio­n across the country, according to the USDA.

But how are the infections spread?

There's no polite way to say this — the CDC says infections start when you swallow Shiga toxin-producing

E. coli

(STEC) —in other words, when you get tiny (usually invisible) amounts of animal feces in your mouth.

In other words, the romaine lettuce is covered in feces, which could come from livestock on the farm where the lettuce grows, or watering or washing lettuce in water that's not clean.

Data from the CDC indicates contaminat­ion could also come from the number of people who touch the lettuce before it reaches your plate.

More people are falling ill after eating bags of pre-chopped and pre-washed salads — the kind that come in contact with lots of hands and machinery before it's consumed.

Can’t I clean the lettuce myself?

No, according to the CDC. Officials there say that it is incredibly easy for even tiny particles of contaminat­ed soil or water to get stuck on lettuce leaves.

Washing your produce at home can help reduce a risk of infection, but won't completely eliminate the chance of getting sick.

So what can I do?

Farmers have one suggestion: buy full heads of romaine lettuce and then wash and chop them at home.

This way, the produce touches fewer possible sources of contaminat­ion among the way.

The cautionary step won't prevent infection if that particular head of lettuce was already contaminat­ed on the farm, but reduces the risk if it wasn't.

It avoids exposure to workers and equipment at processing plants, along with cross-contaminat­ion from other produce bagged or packed in the same facility.

ssigafoos@mcall.com Twitter @ssigafoos 610-820-6612

 ?? ED YOUNG/DPA / TNS ?? Romaine lettuce grows with the Santa Lucia Mountains in the background in Salinas Valley, Monterey County, Calif.
ED YOUNG/DPA / TNS Romaine lettuce grows with the Santa Lucia Mountains in the background in Salinas Valley, Monterey County, Calif.

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