Photo Credit – ECDC
# 5672
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released an updated task force report on the enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) outbreak that has affected more than 4000 people (including 47 fatal cases) across 13 nations in Europe since mid-May.
Although we’ve seen other E. Coli outbreaks in the past, this one is remarkable both for the total number of victims, and the virulence of this emerging 0104:H4 strain of E. Coli.
During the opening weeks of the outbreak suspicions regarding the source of the infection were cast in a variety of directions, causing serious economic harm to produce growers in Spain and elsewhere.
Over the past two weeks, investigators have zeroed in on fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt as being the likely source of the E. Coli contamination.
Two links this morning, along with some excerpts from the EFSA’s press release and technical report. Follow the links to read them in their entirety.
EFSA publishes report from its Task Force on the E. coli O104:H4 outbreaks in Germany and France in 2011 and makes further recommendations to protect consumers
Press Release
5 July 2011The EFSA Task Force established to coordinate investigations to track down the possible source of the French and German outbreaks of E. coli O104:H4 has concluded that one lot of fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt and used to produce sprouts is the most likely common link between the two outbreaks.
However, it cannot be excluded that other lots of fenugreek imported from Egypt during the period 2009-2011 may be implicated. Based on these findings, EFSA recommends to the European Commission that all efforts be made to prevent any further consumer exposure to the suspect seeds and that forward tracing be carried out in all countries which may have received seeds from the concerned lots.
In this context, EFSA continues to advise consumers not to grow sprouts for their own consumption and not to eat sprouts or sprouted seeds unless they have been cooked thoroughly.
<SNIP>
The analysis of information from the French and German outbreaks leads to the conclusion that an imported lot of fenugreek seeds which was used to grow sprouts imported from Egypt by a German importer, is the most likely common link but other lots may be implicated. The report highlights that negative results from microbiological tests carried out on seeds cannot be interpreted as proof that a lot is not contaminated with STEC.
Details on the trace back investigation that has led the EFSA to conclude that contaminated fenugreek seeds are behind this outbreak are contained in the technical document below.
The actual report is a 23-page PDF file. The link below is to the summary.
Tracing seeds, in particular fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds, in relation to the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O104:H4 2011 Outbreaks in Germany and France
Question number: EFSA-Q-2011-00817
Issued: 5 July 2011Report
(0.1 Mb)
Summary
On the 21st of May 2011, Germany reported an ongoing outbreak of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli- bacteria (STEC[1][2]), serotype O104:H4 (Frank et al., 2011). In Germany, between the 1st of May and the 28th of June 2011, 838 Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) cases and 3 091 STEC cases with diarrhea have been reported, of which 47 persons have died (RKI, 2011).
On Friday the 24th of June, France reported[3] a cluster of patients with bloody diarrhoea, after having participated in an event in the Commune of Bègles near Bordeaux on the 8th of June. As of 28 June, eight cases of bloody diarrhoea and a further eight cases with HUS have been identified. Eleven of these patients, seven women and four men, between 31 and 64 years of age, had attended the same event in Bègles. Infection with E. coli O104:H4 has been confirmed for four patients with HUS.
Six of the cases reported having eaten sprouts at the event on the 8th of June, and leftovers are being analysed. Outbreak investigation revealed that the suspected sprouts of fenugreek, rocket and mustard had been privately produced in small quantities by the organiser of the event from seeds bought at an approved garden centre, and were not imported from the sprout producer implicated in the outbreak in Germany (INVS, 2011). An analytical epidemiological study is ongoing with the persons that attended the event on 8th of June. Local trace back investigations in France suggested that the seeds for sprouting were distributed to the approved garden centre by a UK based company.
After the row last week over the ECDC first printing, then removing the name of the (suspected) supplier of the contaminated seeds (see CIDRAP article), it is interesting to note that none of the links in the supply chain appear to be directly named in this report.
The bottom line is that while the number of new cases continues to decline, the potential exists for additional localized outbreaks as potentially contaminated seeds may still be in the pipeline.
From the report:
The number of Member States that have received parts of the suspected lots is much larger than previously known and it cannot be excluded that other Member States and third countries were supplied. The trace forward operation is becoming complex and widespread and may take weeks.
Hence the EFSA’s advise to people: not to grow sprouts for their own consumption and not to eat sprouts or sprouted seeds unless they have been cooked thoroughly.
