Friday 3 June 2011

The new strain of E. coli O104 in Germany!


The strain of verotoxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) O104 that is currently being seen is a really very unusual serogroup. Currently it is clear that actual source of the outbreak is the cause of considerable debate, it certainly requires more work to establish where the organism came from. There have been suggestions that this particular strain of VTEC O104 is an entirely new strain, this has not yet been formally proven. However it is clear that the organism associated with this outbreak is a VTEC O104 and does have an unusual set of virulence factors.
It would appear at present that salad vegetables, particularly lettuce and cucumbers appear to be closely involved with the outbreak of the infection in Germany. At the present time there are no food associated links with the infection in the UK. There have been cases reported in the UK and to my knowledge these have all been linked with recent travel to Germany, although this situation may change over time.
The spread of the infection can essentially be slowed by the use of good hygiene practices in limiting person to person spread. Food hygiene is of equal importance and cleaning of foodstuffs and good hand washing practices are required. This is equally true for salad vegetables and fruit; these items should be washed and cleaned to help remove surface organisms. The peeling and cooking of fruit and vegetables will also help in the removal of potentially pathogenic organisms. An important feature to remember is that good hygiene is of great importance and something as simple as hand washing can break the cycle of infection and so help stop the spread of the organism.