Why do sprouts carry e coli

Most of those incidents were blamed on Salmonella bacteria, but E. They include what had been considered the worst known outbreak of E. In that case, nearly At least 12 died from kidney failure and related complications. Eventually, health officials determined the source of the outbreak was radish sprouts, grown on a Japanese farm from seeds that may have come from Oregon.

No traces of the offending bacteria were ever found in sprouts. CDC recommends that consumers, restaurants, and other retailers always follow food safety practices to avoid illness from eating sprouts. CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.

Recalled sprouts that made people sick in this outbreak would be past their expiration date. Sprouts are a known source of foodborne illness. Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that were part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC. DNA fingerprinting is performed on E. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of these sequences that are used to identify possible outbreaks.

WGS gives investigators detailed information about the bacteria causing illness. In this investigation, WGS showed that bacteria isolated from ill people were closely related genetically.

This means that people in this outbreak were likely to share a common source of infection. A total of 51 people infected with the outbreak strain of E.

A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases. Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 6, , to March 15, Ill people ranged in age from 1 to 79 years, with a median age of 29 years. Fifty-five percent of ill people were female. Of 41 ill people with information available, 3 were hospitalized and no deaths were reported.

WGS analysis of isolates from 39 ill people was performed; the isolate from 1 ill person predicted antibiotic resistance to streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and 38 isolates from ill people did not show evidence of antibiotic resistance. People in vulnerable groups are therefore advised to cook all sprouts thoroughly until they are steaming hot throughout before eating them.

Yes, but you need to use seeds suitable for home sprouting, which are subject to strict controls. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions. Equipment used for sprouting seeds should be cleaned thoroughly using hot soapy water before and after use.

Always wash your hands before and after handling seeds intended for sprouting, as well as when preparing food generally. Read more about safe food preparation. Page last reviewed: 18 October Next review due: 18 October Sprouted seeds safety advice - Eat well Secondary navigation Food and diet Nutrition and food groups Eating a balanced diet 8 tips for healthy eating The Eatwell Guide Food labels Food labelling terms Reference intakes on food labels Starchy foods and carbohydrates Dairy and alternatives Meat in your diet Fish and shellfish The healthy way to eat eggs Beans and pulses Water, drinks and your health Eating processed foods.

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