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E. coli O157:H7 hides in the leaves
NEW ORLEANS-Lettuce can harbor Escherichia coli O157:H7.
At Peel Memorial near Toronto, eight patients, 10 staff members, and three volunteers developed acute bloody diarrhea and cramps five to 10 days after eating imported iceberg lettuce. Illnesses resolved in a few days and none led to hemolytic uremic syndrome, Dr. Ross Davidson told the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy here. The bug was isolated in 15 of 19 stool samples.
In Western Montana, one of 40 patients from 3 to 86 years old (median 36) developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, and 13 were hospitalized after eating leaf lettuce that came from at least three stores, says CDC’s Dr. Marta Ackers. All had positive culture or serology to E. coli O157:H7. Lettuce was the only common independent exposure.
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