E coli outbreak why bean sprouts

Bean sprouts are often used in salads. If the vegetable is contaminated then eating it raw could be a health risk. Advice on the Food Standards Agency website says that to be completely safe the sprouts should be cooked thoroughly until they are steaming hot.

It also advises rinsing before cooking and not eating them after the use by date. Bean sprouts are grown from seeds, some in steam drums at a temperature of 38C. As the agriculture minister for Lower Saxony, Gert Lindemann, puts it, this is "ideal" breeding ground for all bacteria. The German farm was shut down Sunday and all of its produce, including fresh herbs, fruits, flowers and potatoes, was recalled. Two of the farm's employees were also infected with E.

He said 18 different sprout mixtures from the farm were under suspicion — including sprouts of mung beans, broccoli, peas, chickpeas, garlic lentils and radishes. The outbreak in Europe is thought to be caused by a microbe called Shiga toxin-producing E.

The bug gets into the stomach and then attaches to the intestinal wall and secretes a toxin that destroys red blood cells and shuts down the kidneys. Once securely inside the gut of one person, the bacteria can then start spreading person to person through the fecal-oral route. That happens when traces of feces on the hands get passed on, which is why hand-washing is so important.

Bean sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany caused the E coli outbreak that has killed 31 people and infected thousands more, German officials said on Friday.

Health inspectors have identified the source of the infections after linking patients who fell ill with the bug to 26 restaurants and cafes known to have received produce from the farm in Lower Saxony. Reinhard Burger, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, which is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, told a press conference in Berlin there was sufficient evidence to implicate the farm, even though bean sprouts there had passed tests for the lethal microbe.

The breakthrough, which ends days of confusion, led German authorities to lift a warning against consumption of cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce issued in May soon after the outbreak was detected. University of Minnesota. Driven to Discover. Site Search. Staff Mission Contact Us. Sprouts linked to European E coli outbreak Filed Under :.

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