E. Coli

Outbreaks

When two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, the event is called a foodborne disease outbreak. The list on this page primarily represents multistate foodborne outbreak investigations involving E. coli since 2006 where CDC was the lead public health agency.

CDC: Do Not Eat Romaine Lettuce From Here, E. Coli Outbreak Gets Worse

Here we go again with yet another outbreak. The song romaines the same, 2019 meet 2018 and 2017. For the third straight year, there is a romaine-associated E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in North America.

E. coli doesn't just give you food poisoning—it can also help you get essential nutrients

Unlike many gut microbes, most people know E.coli by name. It shows up in the news mostly thanks to food poisoning stories resulting from contaminated water and workers not washing their hands. But many strains are a normal part of our digestive system. In fact, the reason E.coli outbreaks are so common is at least partially because it's so common in our gut and those of other animals.

Everything you need to know about fresh produce and E. coli

It appears that there are now more cases of illness due to produce. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, there has been a large increase in the sale of bagged greens and salad kits as consumers are making an effort to try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Secondly, we’re getting much better at detecting and stopping food-borne outbreaks in their tracks due to a new molecular typing technique referred to as whole genome sequencing (WGS), which is a much more sensitive typing method than ones public health officials have been using.

The Patient Who Finally Knows Why Her UTIs Won’t Go Away

Urinary-tract infections were once easy to cure. Then they started becoming resistant to antibiotics.

How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US

But in reality, we should probably be a little wary of lettuce all the time — not just when there’s a big E. coli outbreak. As sales of precut and bagged greens have boomed, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: They’re now one of the most common sources of food poisoning in the US.

My Life-Threatening Bout With E. Coli Food Poisoning

Before my illness, I was a healthy 22-year-old just out of college. But at some point, my doctors speculated, I must have eaten leafy greens contaminated by E. coli bacteria.

The Fix for E. Coli Outbreaks Could Be ... the Blockchain

To improve food safety, we need a stronger chain of data. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

E.Coli Outbreaks - Preventable or Fact of Life?

Despite advances in medical science, bugs such as E. coli will always be one step ahead of us. Every now and then they will emerge with a vengeance as they spread illness and in extreme cases, death. Always try to find out where your produce comes from and never assume that your food is clean.

Regulators Tie Tainted Romaine Lettuce to California

The FDA also outlined a new voluntary labeling regime for romaine lettuce to help consumers better identify whether it is safe to eat. Romaine lettuce entering the market will now be labeled with a harvest location and date, according to the agency. It urged growers and processors to clearly label packaged lettuce products, and retailers to display the information in the case of other lettuce, like unwrapped whole lettuce heads.

A Possible Treatment for a Deadly Food Poisoning Toxin

Shiga toxin is nasty stuff. If you are infected with a Shiga-producing bacterium, like Shigella dysenteriae or some E. coli strains, there is no clear treatmen

Beating E.coli - what are you doing to break the chain of infection?

People are quite rightly increasingly concerned about antibiotic resistant bacteria and the search for new diagnostic tools and medicines, but we must never lose focus on simply preventing these infections from occurring in the first place.

Beware the Myth of Grass-Fed Beef

Cows raised at pasture are not immune to deadly E. coli bacteria.

E. coli in milk won’t necessarily make you sick – but it signals risks from other bacteria

This recent recall of milk from Australian retail markets after the detection of E. coli is a very rare event. In this case, the causes of the possible pasteurisation failure remain unknown. The “back-up” testing for E. coli in the milk, however, did reveal a failure in the system that will now be investigated to prevent recurrence. Importantly, the detection of E. coli does not mean the milk is unsafe, but indicates that it could be.

E. Coli Outbreak In Romaine Lettuce Underscores Need For Change And Technology

Blockchain is an initiative that must be fast tracked in order to reduce food borne illnesses and reinforce consumer trust in our food supply.

E. Coli Outbreak Strikes Chipotle -- What You Need To Know

Occasional outbreaks like this are pretty much unavoidable, as they are often linked to fresh fruits or vegetables—so a restaurant that focuses on fresh, unprocessed ingredients, actually is more likely to have a problem.

E. Coli, Salmonella and Other Deadly Bacteria and Pathogens in Food: Factory Farms Are the Reason

E. coli is an intestinal pathogen. It only gets in the food if fecal matter gets in the food. Since plants don’t have intestines, all E. coli infections—in fact all food poisoning—comes from animals.

Europe's E. Coli Outbreak: It Could Happen Here

Are sprouts wreaking havoc abroad? Unclear. But one thing's for certain—the U.S. could experience a similar disaster.

From farm to the plate: Europe’s deadly E. coli outbreak

The virulent strain we’re seeing in Europe which has infected more than 1500 people and killed 17 is called E. coli 0104. While this particular strain is new, there are quite a lot of other E. coli strains that have done something similar in the past. Certain strains of E. coli contain a toxin or poison called the “Shiga toxin”. This toxin causes damage to the bowel and symptoms begin with bloody diarrhoea. They can progress to clots in the blood vessels and a break down in blood cells (this process is called “haemolytic–uremic syndrome”). This eventually results in kidney failure and can cause death.

Hacked E. Coli Shows the Promise of Programmable Biology

Researchers turn living cells into biological sensing and computing platforms.

How one contaminated cow can infect millions of pounds of hamburgers

More and more cows are being slaughtered in fewer and fewer slaughterhouses: That means that a single contamination incident — say, a feces-contaminated hide touching a cow carcass — can end up spreading to thousands of animals throughout an assembly line. This is particularly true for ground meat, which is generally made up of meat scraps from many different animals. And meat grinders can spread bacteria to the inside of a hamburger patty — where the microbes may not get cooked up hot enough to be killed.

The Raw-Milk Deal

Pure-food worshippers put their health at risk—especially when they drink unpasteurized milk.

What Does Washing Produce Actually Do?

Rinsing fruit and vegetables under water helps rid the food items of soil, microorganisms and potential human pathogens such as E. coli, listeria and salmonella, according to Sanja Ilic, an assistant professor and food safety specialist at Ohio State University. However, it’s not a straightforward practice.

Where the Hell did Shiga Toxin E. coli come from? A Literature Review – Part 1

In fact, the origin of E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium first described in the 1970s and currently the most well studied shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strain, also (despite conventional wisdom) remains elusive.

Why Has It Taken This Long to Figure Out What’s Wrong with Our Lettuce?

So, in the close to two months since people started getting sick, we’ve learned almost nothing about how the romaine was contaminated or which farms were responsible for a majority of the poisonings. Lettuce doesn’t even last for two months. Why has it taken the CDC and FDA this long to track down any source of the tainted lettuce?

Why Are Some E. Coli Strains Deadly While Others Live Peacefully in Our Bodies?

You have a variety of strains of E. coli in your intestine, including one that’s busy making the antioxidant vitamin K crucial for your and its survival.

5 foods besides romaine that can have E. coli

Raw vegetables and fruits are often a source for E. coli because the bacteria can't be fully washed off. Thoroughly cooking produce will kill the bacteria, but that's the only way to be certain contaminated fruits and vegetables are safe. Raw vegetables are not the only food that can be contaminated, though. Here are five other foods that you'll see recalled from time to time because of E. coli, along with tips on how to safely prepare them.

E. coli Blog

Surveillance & analysis on E, Coli news and outbreaks.

E. Coli Genome Project

The E. coli Genome Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had its genesis in an editorial by Frederick R. Blattner in the November 18, 1983 issue of Science, in which he raised the idea of completely sequencing the E. coli (and human) genomes.

About E. Coli

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 73,000 cases of Escherichia coli O157:H7, occur annually in the United States. Every year, 2,100 Americans are hospitalized, and 61 people die as a direct result of E. coli infections and its complications.

CDC

The Tennessee State Department of Health and CDC are collaborating with public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to investigate an ongoing multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections in humans.

MedicineNet

Most cases of E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses have occurred after eating undercooked ground beef.

USDA

Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. E. coli O157:H7 is a kind of E. coli that can cause disease by making a toxin called Shiga toxin. Often when you hear news reports about outbreaks of E. coli infections, they are talking about E. coli O157:H7.

WHO

Escherichia Coli Infections