ParfumGigi@aol.com
Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:31:43 EDT
Lab Ties Spinach Outbreak to California Cattle Feces (Update2)
By Margot Habiby and Steven Bodzin
Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Spinach-borne E. coli that killed at least three people and sickened almost 200 was identical to that found in fecal matter on a ranch growing both greens and beef cattle, state and federal officials said today.
A laboratory found the same strain of E. coli in three samples of cattle feces taken from one of four ranches under investigation in the California counties of Monterey and San Benito, said Kevin Reilly, deputy director of prevention services with the California Department of Health Services.
``We do not have a smoking cow at this point,'' Reilly said on a conference call with reporters today. The finding is significant because officials have never made such a definitive connection to a contamination source in nine previous investigations in California's Salinas Valley, he said.
The finding offered further indication the outbreak was the result of contamination from cattle. The illness led to an international recall of some brands of bagged spinach and a government recommendation that U.S. consumers throw them away.
The three positive results were the first in more than 650 tests state officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have conducted, Reilly said. Further investigation will be needed to determine how common the strain is in the area's wildlife and how fecal matter could have gotten into spinach from its source in a pasture between a half-mile and a mile away.
The ranch where the spinach was found wasn't following all agricultural practices promulgated by the FDA in August, when the agency began its Lettuce Safety Initiative.
`Areas of Concern'
``We found some areas of concern,'' Reilly said. ``In particular, the proximity of livestock and the fact that wildlife is quite common in this area.''
The FDA also was examining the possibility of water contamination and contamination by farm workers, he said.
Reilly said the ranch also had a large population of feral pigs. The farm showed signs that the pigs were able to break down fences and walk between the pastures and the fields, he said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Margot Habiby in Dallas at mhabiby@bloomberg.net ; Steven Bodzin in San Francisco at sbodzin@bloomberg.net .
