Another Death Linked to E. Coli Outbreak

Oct. 6, 2006 — -- A toddler from Idaho appears to be the latest victim of the national outbreak of E. coli bacteria.

State health officials say 2-year-old Kyle Allgood of Chubbuck, Idaho, was infected with E. coli O157:H7, the same strain of the bacteria associated with contaminated spinach from California.

The Idaho youngster died of kidney failure at a Salt Lake City hospital on Sept. 20.

The child developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a kidney disease often associated with E. coli infections.

"We are very sorry for Kyle and his family," said Christine Hahn, the Idaho state epidemiologist. "This type of E. coli can be very dangerous for everyone, but especially young children and the elderly."

Last month, the death of a 77-year-old woman from Wisconsin was the first fatality linked to the contaminated spinach.

So far, 192 people from 26 states have been infected with the particularly virulent strain of the bacteria, and about half of them needed to be hospitalized.

Tracing the Long History of a Lethal Strain

There has been a long history of E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks involving leafy green vegetables from central California, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The current contamination has been traced back to Natural Selection Foods LLC of San Juan Bautista, Calif.

Natural Selection and four other companies that received potentially contaminated spinach from that company recalledpackaged leaf spinach with a date code of Oct. 1 or earlier.

E. coli lives in the intestines of animals, commonly in cattle.

Fecal materialfrom livestock is most often linked to contamination.

Investigators are checking all aspects of production and distribution, especially irrigation and fertilization.

Earlier this week, FBI agents and the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations executed two search warrants on Natural Selection Foods and Growers Express ofSalinas, California.

"[The] FDA continues to work with the U.S. Attorney's Office andthe FBI to determine the facts behind this outbreak," said Robert Brackett, directorof the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

But the U.S. Attorney's Office maintains that there is no indication to date thefresh spinach was deliberately contaminated.

"The investigation has not revealed any evidence of a new or continuing threat to public health," according to U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan.

Safe to Eat Spinach

In fact, fresh spinach has returned to many store shelves, and the FDAmaintains that the current threat to the supply is over and that the popular vegetable is safe to eat.

Americans now consume approximately 2 pounds of fresh spinach a year.

Itspopularity is driven in large part by the availability of triple-washed packagedspinach.

The United States is the world's second-largest spinach producer behindChina, and California accounts for almost 75 percent of the spinach grown in thenation.

The recent E. coli outbreak created a significant disturbance in the green marketcornered by California.

After the contamination, growers and producersvowed to police themselves more effectively to minimize the risk of anotherserious threat to the health of its consumers.