Rare Strain of E. coli O143:H34 Found in Bagged Lettuce
While investigating an E coli O145 outbreak in romaine lettuce, Ohio Health officials found another rare strain of food poisoning: E. coli O143:H34.
While this particular pathogen has not been associated with any foodborne illnesses by health officials, E coli 0143:H34 can still cause serious food poisoning symptoms and sicken people. According to a report in The Columbus Dispatch:
“For some food-safety advocates, the finding highlights the ubiquitous nature of contamination and builds the case to expedite reforms to improve the cleanliness of the nation’s food supply.”
E. coli lawyer and food safety attorney Fred Pritzker has long been advocating similar reforms. E. coli O157 is the only form of this dangerous pathogen that is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, as these findings show, other harmful strains of E coli can and do contaminate American consumers’ food supplies, yet they go undetected by the government agencies charged with keeping our food safe. Other forms of E coli that can cause serious illness include:
- E. coli O111
- E. coli O145
- E. coli O143:H34
- E. coli O26
- E. coli O121
- E. coli O103
- E. coli O45
E. coli infections can lead to severe health complications including hemolytic uremic syndrome (E. coli HUS), kidney failure, and long-term health issues such as hypertension. These pathogens cause serious problems and should be treated seriously by the government agencies responsible for keeping our food supply safe.
Source: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/20/ohio-tests-detect-different-strain-of-e–coli-in-lettuce.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101
Tags: e coli 0145, E. coli O111, E. coli Prevention, lettuce outbreak
