Lettuce with E. coli attacks again

William Atkins
Saturday, 08 May 2010 23:25

Science - Health

Lettuce is at the source of a May 2010 E. coli outbreak that has reached 23 states and the District of Columbia in the United States. The Associated Press reports that Freshway Foods has recalled the brands 'Freshway' and 'Imperial Sysco.'

 

Shredded romaine lettuce produced by Freshway Foods, of Sidney, Ohio, is most likely at the center of this latest lettuce contamination scare with E. coli.

E. coli is short for Escherichia coli. It is a gram negative rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms, such as humans.

Most strains of E. coli are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning cases in humans and some, like this one with contaminated lettuce, can prompt food recalls.

So far, as of May 7, 2010, at least 19 people have contracted E. coli from the now-recalled romaine lettuce and 3 of these people have symptoms that are reported as being 'life-threatening.'

The Associated Press article 'E. coli forces lettuce recall; 19 ill in 3 states' states that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, that so far 12 people have been hospitalized.

The Thursday, May 6, 2010 FDA article 'FDA Supports Freshway Foods Voluntary Recall of Lettuce' reports on the recall of the lettuce by Freshway Foods.

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