UK E. coli O157 outbreak associated with soil on vegetables - 250 cases , 1 death

[Gert van der Hoek]

UK E. coli O157 outbreak associated with soil on vegetables

30 September 2011

Consumers are reminded to thoroughly wash vegetables and observe good kitchen hygiene following an investigation into 250 cases of gastrointestinal illness caused by an unusual strain of E. coli O157. The investigation into the outbreak, which is now over, revealed an association between illness and handling certain loose raw vegetables in the home, which, although safe to eat, could have had soil on them containing harmful bacteria. Handling raw vegetables in the home explained many, but not all, of the cases.


Dr Bob Adak, a gastrointestinal disease expert at the HPA and head of the multi-agency Outbreak Control Team said, "Our study showed a statistically significant association with raw loose leeks and potatoes from sacks but these vegetables may not be the only source of contamination. We also want to stress that it is safe to eat these vegetables as long as they have been stored correctly, thoroughly washed before cooking and good kitchen hygiene practices are followed.

"In this outbreak, which is now over, the vegetables could have carried traces of contaminated soil. It is possible people caught the infection from cross contamination in storage, inadequate washing of loose vegetables, insufficient hand washing after handling the vegetables or by failing to thoroughly clean kitchen equipment, utensils or surfaces after preparing the vegetables."

Between December 2010 and July 2011, the Health Protection Agency (HPA), Health Protection Scotland and Public Health Wales received reports of 250 cases of infection with a particular subtype of E. coli.O157 known as Phage Type 8 (PT8) distributed across England, Scotland and Wales. The majority of these cases were mild to moderate but 74 people were assessed in hospital. Four developed Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS) and one patient with underlying health problems died. No cases were reported in Northern Ireland and the outbreak is now over.

This outbreak was not related to the outbreaks in Germany or France earlier this year which were caused by a different strain of E. coli called O104.

Read more - Health Protection Agency

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: UK E. coli O157 outbreak associated with soil on vegetables - 250 cases , 1 death

Warning to wash fruit and veg well as E.Coli linked to bacteria in soil

Friday September 30 2011

PEOPLE are being warned to wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly after experts linked an E.coli outbreak to bacteria contained in soil.

Some 250 people became ill with gastrointestinal disease, including vomiting and diarrhoea, between December last year and this July.

They had a subtype of E.coli O157 known as Phage Type 8 (PT8) and cases occurred across Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

Some 74 people ended up in hospital, with four suffering from a complication called Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS). One patient, who had underlying health problems, died.

Today, the British Health Protection Agency (HPA) said people should ensure they wash fruit, vegetables and salads thoroughly, and keep their kitchens clean to prevent another potential outbreak.

An HPA investigation found a link between the illness and handling loose leeks and potatoes in the home.

Read more - Independent

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: UK E. coli O157 outbreak associated with soil on vegetables - 250 cases , 1 death

It seems odd to issue a warning after "the outbreak is over"?

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: UK E. coli O157 outbreak associated with soil on vegetables - 250 cases , 1 death

Some details:

Notes to Editors:

People usually become unwell with E. coli O157 infection after eating food or drinking water that is contaminated with the faeces from infected animals, or from contact with farm animals or their environments. E. coli is a common bacterium that can live harmlessly in the gut of animals and people. However, some E. coli bacteria produce toxins that are harmful to people and one of these is a group called vero cytotoxin-producing E. coli or VTEC. The type seen in this outbreak (which is now over), VTEC O157 PT8, is a subset of this group. For more information on E. coli, visit: http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/EscherichiaColi/

The cause of this outbreak was not immediately obvious and over the first six months of this year a series of comprehensive investigations have been carried out by the HPA, Health Protection Scotland and Public Health Wales in an effort to discover how the disease was spread. This involved preliminary interviews with every identified case, followed by further in-depth interviews (of two hours or more) in the homes of a number of cases. Complete histories were taken from each of these patients to find out if the affected people could be linked by common shopping, eating, cooking, recreational or working habits or practices.

Statistical analysis of information from 30 cases and 62 controls (healthy people who were not ill with this infection) was undertaken and the final analysis indicated that people who were unwell were forty times more likely to have been in a household where people handled leeks sold loose (i.e. not prepacked) than the control group and were twelve times more likely to have been in a household where people handled potatoes bought in or sold from sacks.

The number of E. coli O157 PT8 cases in this outbreak compares with an average of 81 cases of this type seen across the UK in each of the previous three years.

Of the 250 cases reported in this outbreak across the UK, 193 were reported in England (and distributed across all regions), 44 cases were reported in Scotland and 14 in Wales. Forty per cent of cases are under 16 and 69 per cent are female.

Vegetables and salad items might have soil on them. Contaminated soil from one item may also cross-contaminate another item during storage. This is why the public are being advised to wash all vegetables and salad thoroughly prior to cooking or eating. Although the chances are small that any soil on this produce may be contaminated with E. coli O157, this advice is being issued because the organism has the potential to cause serious illness, which can be prevented if these simple steps are taken.

HPA