Two different strands of E coli

The source of an alarming E coli outbreak in Europe that has so far left 26 dead and more than 2,600 sick has baffled experts who warn the outbreak is more severe than anything they’ve ever seen from the bacteria. The strain has hit eight countries in Europe, but has been concentrated in Germany.

E coli is a common type of bacteria that can get into food, like beef and vegetables. E coli is short for the medical term Escherichia coli. The strange thing about these bacteria is that they are not always harmful to humans. E coli normally lives inside intestines, where it helps the body to break down and digest food. Unfortunately, certain strains of E coli can get from the intestines into the blood. This is a rare illness, but it can cause a very serious infection.

Despite a massive medical dragnet, the culprit for the outbreak has not yet been determined. The initial suspect was cucumbers from Spain, but tests have discounted that the vegetable was responsible for carrying the bacteria. Tomatoes and lettuce are also being tested.

Most E Coli strains are harmless, but those that do cause sickness usually trigger bouts of diarrhoea, fever and vomiting. In the bacteria’s most serious and severe form, the infection causes haemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a condition which attacks the kidneys and can cause stroke, seizure, coma and death.

In a typical outbreak, about one to two percent of those affected suffer from HUS. Minnesota University Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Director, Dr Michael Osterholm said that it will be important to decipher whether there is something unusual about this particular agent which is causing a higher percentage of people to suffer from HUS or the outbreak is just extremely widespread.

German hospitals are struggling to cope with the surge in patients caused by the E coli outbreak. Health minister, Daniel Bahr, said hospitals in northern Germany were finding it difficult to provide enough beds and treatment for patients. “We are facing a tense situation with patient care,” Bahr said, “but we will manage it.”

Agriculture officials said that bean sprouts grown in one organic farm between Hamburg and Hanover were the likely cause of the illness. Hospital authorities said blood supplies were running low and staff was exhausted, working round-the-clock, with the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen the worst affected. Patients with less serious illnesses are now being moved to nearby hospitals and operations for non-threatening diseases are being postponed.

Tucked away in the cellars of the city’s old town, the Kartoffel Keller became the focus of investigations over the weekend after a local newspaper revealed that up to 17 people who had eaten at the restaurant were infected with E coli, among them tourists from Denmark and a group of German civil servants. Two are seriously ill and a 47-year-old woman died.

Two cases have surfaced in the United States, said Lola Russell, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Russell did not disclose the victims’ names or states where they reside, but she did say their illnesses are associated with recent travel to Germany. Both are expected to survive.

“This strain of E Coli seems to be particularly virulent and also antibiotic resistant,” said University of Washington School of Public Health professor of epidemiology and health sciences Dr Ann Marie Kimball. “It is a toxin producing strain which causes kidney shut down and apparently higher mortality.”

A Virginia two-year-old who died from an E coli bacterial infection that has also sickened her brother, as well as at least 10 other E coli infections in Tennessee since June 1, are unrelated to the infections in Germany, said health officials. Northeast Regional Health Office, Johnson City, Tennessee medical director Dr David Kirschke said the office is “taking it very seriously and encouraging people to follow precautions.”

Based on lab results from June 2 and 3, Kirschke said, “It looks like we may be dealing with two separate strains. What looks like is seven cases that are not related to the 0157 strain that are probably a milder strain, and one case of the 0157 that can have more severe complications.”

Kirschke said a common cause has not been found. He said, however, that the lab results did not indicate a link to the E coli outbreak in Europe.