[Benjamin]

E. coli outbreak is a new strain
By James Gallagher


The World Health Organization says the E. coli outbreak in Germany is a completely new strain of the bacteria.

The infection can cause the deadly complication - haemolytic-uraemic syndrome - affecting the blood and kidneys.

More than 1,500 people have been infected and 17 have died: 16 in Germany and one in Sweden.

In the UK, three British nationals have been infected, according to the Health Protection Agency.

Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, a WHO spokesperson, is reported as saying: "This strain has never been seen in an outbreak situation before."

Scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute, in China, are also reported as saying: "This E.coli is a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic."

Researchers in Germany say preliminary genetic analysis of the outbreak suggests the bacteria is unique.

Health advice
Wash fruit and vegetables before eating them
Peel or cook fruit and vegetables
Wash hands regularly to prevent person-to-person spread of E. coli strain
Source: UK Health Protection Agency

They say it has genes from two distinct groups of E. coli: enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).

The Health Protection Agency told the BBC that we were at the beginning of the learning curve in terms of understanding what this means.

Europe

The outbreak remains centred on Germany where there have been 1,064 cases of bloody diarrhoea and 470 cases of the potentially deadly complication in the blood and kidneys.

The source of the infection, originally blamed on Spanish cucumbers, is unclear.

HUS cases and deaths, by country

Germany: 470 cases, 16 deaths
Sweden: 15 cases, one death
Denmark: Seven cases
The Netherlands: Three cases
UK: Three cases
Spain: One case

Sources: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Robert Koch Institute, UK Health Protection Agency

The head of the Robert Koch Institute, which monitors the infection in Germany, said the outbreak could last for months and that "we may never know" the original source.

Fresh vegetables from the European Union have been banned in Russia and the country's chief medical officer said such produce will be seized.

Meanwhile Spain is threatening to seek compensation from the EU for lost vegetables sales.

UK cases

Three British nationals in the UK have been infected with E. coli linked to the outbreak in Germany, according to the Health Protection Agency.

It brings the total number of cases in the UK to seven, the other four are from Germany.

It is believed that all patients caught the infection in Germany and brought it back to the UK.

Three of them have developed the potentially deadly complication of haemolytic-uraemic syndrome.

The HPA continues to advise that people travelling to Germany should not eat raw cucumber, lettuce or tomatoes and that they should seek medical advice if they have bloody diarrhoea.

It said one of the strange things about the outbreak was the number of cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome. It is a very severe kidney complication which destroys red blood cells and can also affect the central nervous system.

Dr Dilys Morgan, from the Health Protection Agency, said: "It's very unusual for adults to have HUS anyway.


Dr Dilys Morgan from the Health Protection Agency says the E. coli outbreak is 'alarming'
"It mainly affects young children and older adults, but what we've seen is predominantly young females getting this condition.

"It's a very rare organism that's causing this and it's thought it has particular properties where the toxin it produces is particularly virulent and therefore is affecting this population more than we would normally expect."

Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiologist from the University of Aberdeen, said: "This outbreak is unusual in that it doesn't seem to be targeting young children.

"Children under five have had a very hard time with this kind of bug in the past, they seem to be escaping it, maybe just due to the nature of the food that's causing the problem."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13626499

[arista]

Yes the Spanish are angry
as there Organic veg was not the problem.

More like a Box was dropped in a factory
picking up a cross infection.



You should put Germany on your Title
as its their mess.
It started in Germany - There Feck Up.

[Smithy]

[arista]

Look at Russia
Bans All E .U. Veg Imports.


In the UK cucumbers are hard to sell
even half price deals.

[arista]

Now Germany is saying its Bean Sprouts


Ref: SkyNewsHD

[Marc]

We're ALL GOING TO DIE!

[Patrick]

Someone tell this little Swine Flu wanna-be to ****** off back to Germany.

[Conor]

You do realise Ecoli is far more dangerous that swine flu? Especially this strain...

[Lewis.]

2012 is on its way

[Ithinkiloveyoutoo]

THE deadly E.coli outbreak could have been spread by terrorists, say doctors.



They fear rogue groups may have deliberately implanted the killer germ into fresh produce.



Poisoning food supplies would be the perfect way for terror groups to be taken seriously, experts believe.



Though Germany has been the centre of the outbreak, Britain could also be hit as our fruit and vegetable supply is also vulnerable to attack.



The chilling warning comes as German health officials said a toxic batch of beansprouts are probably behind the latest deadly outbreak.




Scientists have warned people to avoid the vegetables which are a popular ingredient in Chinese stir fry dishes.



Klaus-Dieter Zastrow, chief doctor for hygiene at Germany’s Vivantes Hospital in Berlin, said: “It is quite possible there’s a crazy person out there who thinks: ‘I’ll kill a few people or make 10,000 ill.’



“It is a negligent mistake not to investigate in that direction.”



The Centre For The Protection Of National Infrastructure has warned it would not be beyond al-Qaida to launch a food-based attack.



It all spells disaster for British farmers who are already binning tons of salad crops as nervous shoppers shun fresh veg.



So far 22 people have died and 2,153 are ill after the super toxic E.coli strain spread across Europe.



Hospitals in the port of Hamburg, northern Germany are struggling to cope with wave after wave of new admissions.



A spokesman said the situation was “intense”.



And he added: “All the hospitals in the region are pushing their staff to the limit. Operations for non-life-threatening illnesses are now being rescheduled.”



Health protection officers are now focusing their attention on a restaurant in the north German town of Lubeck.



At least 18 people have fallen sick after eating there and one has died. But it is not thought to be the direct cause of the infection.



Microbiologist Werner Solbach, said: “The supply chain could give us clues about how the pathogen was passed along.”

...............................

[Jords]

Im scared to eat now (which is great since Im dieting )

[Vicky.]

Well I guess I will just have to continue eating crap frozen/processed foods then. Such a shame

[arista]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Well I guess I will just have to continue eating crap frozen/processed foods then. Such a shame

No these are German Organic Bean Sprouts
and they had done this before.
They grow them with steam and at that point it goes wrong.


Spain wants Money Damages from Germany now
as there Organic Cucumber stock was not sold
and nothing was wrong with it.

[Redway]

Apparently, the bean sprouts growing in the North of Spain is the cause. I think it's silly that the two countries are trying to fight each other to see which one will emerge victorious. Absolute nonsense. Those people need to know that a lot of things happen by chance, not by deliberate intention.