October 6, 2006 -- FDA Updates E.coli Search

In a statement released October 5, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conceded that it does not yet know the source of E.coli infection that has caused sickness and death in persons who ate spinach grown in California, but the FDA said it is continuing to examine factors such as the water used in growing or processing spinach, the "environment" in which it is grown and processed, and whether animal wastes are involved. To date, the FDA has received reports of 192 cases of illness due to E.coli, with 30 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, 98 hospitalizations, and two deaths. Epidemiological and laboratory evidence obtained so far traces the current outbreak to spinach grown by one large company in central California, but there is a long history of E.coli from leafy greens grown in the region, the FDA said. The statement said that at the present time, any plans developed as part of a long-term strategy for minimizing the risk of another outbreak will be voluntary, though the statement emphasized that both the FDA and the state of California "are not excluding the possibility of regulatory requirements in the future." Further updates on the current investigation will be available at www.fda.gov.