1000621 A Bad Bug

A Bad Bug

A germ called E. coli causes a deadly outbreak in northern Germany

By Liz Sawyer             

German officials continue to search for the cause of the world deadliest E.coli bacteria outbreak. The outbreak began on May 2 near the city of Hamburg in northern Germany. A crop of vegetables is the likely cause.

So far, the super-strong strain of E. coli has sickened 2,400 people in 12 countries, including the United States. It has killed 24 people. More cases are being reported every day.

What Is E. coli?

E. coli are bacteria that live in the guts of humans and animals. They help the body break down and digest food. Most of the time, E. coli are harmless. But sometimes they can get into food, including meat and vegetables. How does that happen? The bacteria are found in cattle poop, called manure, which is used to grow crops. Bacteria can also get into food when water contaminated with E. coli is used to irrigate crops.

When eaten, the bacteria may cause a severe infection. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. Most people recover from the bug within a week, but sometimes it can be deadly.

Which Crop Is the Culprit?

The exact cause of the outbreak is still unknown. Last week, German officials apologized after identifying Spanish cucumbers as the source. On Sunday, the government claimed that bean sprouts grown in northern Germany were actually to blame. After testing both crops, neither vegetable showed signs of the dangerous strain of E. coli.

Guenael Rodier of the World Health Organization said these results don necessarily let the bean sprouts off the hook. Investigators continue to test the crop for signs of the bacteria.

"Just because tests are negative doesn’t mean you can rule them out," Rodier said. "The bacteria could have been in just one batch of contaminated food. By the time you collect specimens from the samples that are left, [the bacteria] could be gone."

A Tough Task

Scientists say identifying the source of the contaminated crops may be difficult now because the produce has likely disappeared from the marketplace.

"It like looking at camera footage of a traffic intersection today to see what caused an accident three weeks ago," says Michael Osterholm. He is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Osterholm adds that finding the source of the outbreak may take time, but still, it not an impossible task. In the mean time, consumers are being extra cautious about what and where they eat.

To learn more about food safety, click here.

Max- E. coli is just like other germs that live in the guts and help digest food. It is harmless when it’s in the own place, but when they go outside the guts, it won’t be harmless anymore. Like most of the germs, they can spread from place to place. And if they spread from the water to the soil and to the food we eat, we would be infected by the germs. Now, one kind of germ called E. coil started to let Germans sick, and some even died. This germ now cause more than a thousand people infected, and about 20 people died. Germans still didn’t know which crop E. coil existed, But after they thought that the cucumbers in Spain would be the culprit, they found out that the bean sprouts in northern Germany is the real culprit. Now, these two vegetables didn’t have E. coil in it, but we don’t know how long to let the infection stop.