Escherichia coli

Almost a year to the day of an illness outbreak associated with bagged spinach and two years to the day of one associated with bagged lettuce, a division of Dole Food Company last week issued an international recall of one of its brands of bagged salad after a sample taken from a store in Canada tested positive for E. coli.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of many species of bacteria living in the lower intestines of mammals, known as gut flora. When located in the large intestine, it assists with waste processing, vitamin K production, and food absorption. They were discovered in 1885 by Theodor Escherich, a German pediatrician and bacteriologist.

The E. coli strain O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium that causes illness in humans. Most people had never heard of E. coli O157:H7 until the Jack in the Box incident of 1993. However, this strain was first recognized as a foodborne pathogen in 1982 during an investigation into an outbreak of unusual gastrointestinal illness associated with consumption of hamburgers from a fast food chain restaurant. A little known fact is that the "fast food chain restaurant" was McDonald's and the location was…White City, Oregon.

This week, a look at Escherichia coli.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (US essayist & poet, 1803 - 1882)

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Escherichia coli