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The 2006 North American E. coli outbreak was an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak from prepackaged spinach. The outbreak occurred in September 2006, and its origin was an Angus cattle ranch that had leased land to a spinach grower. At least 276 consumer illnesses and 3 deaths have been attributed as a result from the outbreak.

History

In September 2006, there was an outbreak of foodborne illness caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria found in prepackaged spinach in 26 U.S. states. The initial reports of the outbreak came from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

By October 6, 2006, 199 people had been infected, including three people who died and 31 who developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic–uremic syndrome after eating spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly bacterium that causes bloody diarrhea and dehydration. This strain is more potent than in any other food poisoning scares. Federal health officials said half of those reported sick have been hospitalized, compared to 25 to 30 percent in past outbreaks.

The FDA called for bagged fresh spinach to be removed from shelves and warned people not to eat any kind of fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products. The FDA has also speculated that washing the spinach is insufficient to sanitize it because the bacteria is systemic, meaning that it is not just on the outside of the spinach, but that it has been absorbed through the roots and is now inside the spinach. This hypothesis has since been deemed only hypothetical, as there is no evidence that this can happen in spinach. The FDA has since reduced its warning to certain brands with specific dates.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency advised consumers not to eat fresh spinach from the U.S., including bagged, loose in bulk or in salad blends.

Cause

The outbreak was traced to prepackaged spinach—sold as conventional produce—grown on a 50-acre (20 ha) farm in San Benito County, California. Investigators with the CDC initially speculated that the dangerous strain of bacteria, E. coli O157:H7, originated from irrigation water contaminated with cattle feces or from grazing deer.

A follow-up report by the CDC and a joint report by the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) and the U.S. FDA concluded that the probable source of the outbreak was Paicines Ranch, an Angus cattle ranch that had leased land to spinach grower Mission Organics. The report found 26 samples of E. coli "indistinguishable from the outbreak strain" in water and cattle manure on the San Benito County ranch, some within a mile from the tainted spinach fields. Although officials could not definitively say how the spinach became contaminated, both reports named the presence of wild pigs on the ranch and the proximity of surface waterways to irrigation wells as "potential environmental risk factors." The reports also noted that flaws in the spinach producer's transportation and processing systems could have further spread contamination. Paicines Ranch is not under investigation for its alleged role in the outbreak.

Soon after the reports were released, California's farm industry announced it would adopt "good agricultural practices" to reduce the risk of E. coli contamination for leafy green vegetables.

Two companies in California voluntarily recalled spinach and spinach-containing products: Natural Selection Foods LLC, based in San Juan Bautista, and River Ranch Fresh Foods. Natural Selection brands include Natural Selection Foods, Pride of San Juan, Earthbound Farm, Bellissima, Dole, Rave Spinach, Emeril, Sysco, O Organic, Fresh Point, River Ranch, Superior, Nature's Basket, Pro-Mark, Compliments, Trader Joe's, Jansal Valley, Cheney Brothers, D'Arrigo Brothers, Green Harvest, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Premium Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer's Market, Tanimura & Antle, President's Choice, Cross Valley, and Riverside Farms. Affected brands from River Ranch include Hy-Vee, Farmer's Market, and Fresh and Easy. Later, a third company, RLB Food Distributors, issued multiple East Coast states recalls of spinach-containing salad products for possible E. coli contamination. Natural Selection Foods announced on September 18, 2006, that its organic produce had been cleared of contamination by an independent agency, but did not lift the recalls on any of its organic brands. On September 22, Earthbound Farm announced that the FDA and the CDHS confirmed that its organic spinach had not been contaminated with E. coli.

Impact

The outbreak consisted of 26 states and provinces, with at least 200 reported cases. Three deaths were confirmed: an elderly woman in Wisconsin, a two-year-old in Idaho, and an elderly woman in Nebraska. The death of an elderly woman in Maryland was investigated, but DNA fingerprinting was not possible to confirm the death as a result of the outbreak. Spinach has also been distributed to Canada and Mexico; one case has been reported in Canada. At the time of the outbreak, there were over 400 produce-related outbreaks in North America since 1990.

The areas reported to be affected are:

Economic impact

In California, where three-quarters of all domestically grown spinach are harvested, farmers could face up to $74 million in losses due to the E. coli outbreak. In 2005, the spinach crop in California was valued at $258.3 million, and each acre lost amounts to a roughly $3,500 loss for the farmer.

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The PulseNet system, part of the Association of Public Health Laboratories and coordinated by CDC, detected clusters of infection in two states, Oregon and Wisconsin, which initiated investigations in each state. The first cluster was detected on Friday, September 8, in one state, and the second cluster emerged in the second state on Wednesday, September 13, by which time PulseNet had also identified potential associated cases in other states.

The OutbreakNet, a group of state public health officers who investigate foodborne infection outbreaks, shared information with CDC that indicated that Oregon and Wisconsin were considering the same hypothesis: fresh spinach was the possible vehicle of infection. The group tracked and updated the increasing case count and exposure information. During a multistate call on Thursday, September 14, the group noted that the data strongly suggested fresh spinach was a likely source. Within 24 hours of the outbreak, the data indicated that the outbreak was probably ongoing.

CDC made communication to the public a priority by developing press releases, coordinating with FDA on press documents, conducting interviews with major media, and sending out notices on September 14 to the public health community via the Health Alert Network (HAN) and the Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X). By the next morning, the news media warned the U.S. population not to eat bagged spinach, with remarkable coverage.

Timeline

September

The Centers for Disease Control issued an official Health Alert, the highest category of alert message, on September 14 and started to investigate the E. coli outbreak. The FDA warned consumers about an E. coli outbreak tied to fresh spinach bags. The FDA reported that they received complaints from 19 states in the United States. The FDA advised consumers not to eat bagged fresh spinach. Three days later, their updated warning said not to eat fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products. The United States also expanded the warning to avoid all fresh spinach. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle formally requested federal aid on September 15. His office said the CDC will help assess the causes and the magnitude of the outbreak in his state.

On September 18, Illinois and Nebraska reported their first cases of E. coli infection due to spinach, bringing the total number of affected states to 21. Ohio public health officials investigated a two-year-old's death that may also be linked. The number of people sickened by the E. coli laced spinach reached 111.

On September 19, it was reported that there may be a link to a further death in Ohio and irrigation water is being investigated as a possible source.

This is the 9th outbreak traced to the Salinas Valley in California and the 25th leafy green E. coli outbreak (spinach or lettuce) in the United States since 1993.

On September 20, the CDC announced that the genetic fingerprint, a PFGE pattern, of E. coli O157 isolated from an opened package of Dole baby spinach packed by Natural Selection in the refrigerator of an ill New Mexico resident matched that of the outbreak strain.

On September 25, consumer advocates and lawmakers began urging tougher rules for fields and processing plants.

On September 29, the FDA downgraded the warning, reducing it to a warning against specific brands packaged on specific dates instead of fresh spinach.

October

On October 5, 2006, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into the matter.

On October 26, 2006, some of the largest grocery chains, including Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs, and others, sent a letter to the farmer's associations, giving them six weeks to come up with a plan to prevent problems like the E. coli outbreak from happening again.

Overall toll

The overall toll of the spinach incident was 199 people in 28 states infected, resulting in 141 hospitalizations, 31 people having kidney failure, and three deaths.

See also

• Spinach in the United States

References

1. ^ Raine, George (March 23, 2007). "San Benito County ranch source of tainted spinach". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
2. ^ "Update on Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections From Fresh Spinach". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
3. Sander, Libby (October 13, 2006). "Source of Deadly E. coli Is Found". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
4. ^ "FDA Warning on Serious Foodborne E.coli O157:H7 Outbreak". Food and Drug Administration. September 14, 2006. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
5. ^ "U.S. expands warning to cover all fresh spinach". Reuters. September 17, 2006. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
6. "E. coli On Spinach May Have Been Extra Potent". WFSB. September 20, 2006. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010.
7. ^ "FDA Statement on Foodborne E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach". Food and Drug Administration (United States). September 17, 2006. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010.
8. "Expanded health hazard alert. Various brands of imported fresh spinach may contain E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria". CFIA. September 18, 2006. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved September 26, 2006.
9. "The truth about the E. coli outbreak". Salon. September 22, 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
10. ^ "Inside the CDC's report on the deadly E. coli spinach outbreak". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 24, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
11. "Source of tainted spinach finally pinpointed". NBC News. March 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
12. "Tainted spinach linked to Paicines Ranch: Officials say San Juan Bautista plant though failed to follow its own safety procedures". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 24, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
13. ^ Natural Selection Foods Archived January 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
14. ^ "FDA: E. coli linked to Natural Selection Foods". CNN. September 15, 2006. Archived from the original on September 21, 2006.
15. "RLB Food Distributors Issues a Multiple East Coast States Recall of Fresh Spinach Salad Products for Possible E. coli Contamination". Food and Drug Administration (United States). September 20, 2006. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011.
16. "Company says organic spinach OK, but E. coli recall still in effect". USA Today. September 18, 2006. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008.
17. "First case of contaminated spinach recorded in Canada". CBC News. September 25, 2006. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009.
18. "A selection of North American produce related outbreaks from 1990–2005" (PDF). Food safety network. May 3, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2006.
19. "E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Case Counts by State". CDC. Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2006.
20. "October 2, 2006 and in October 4, 2006 AP story reported on NBC News". NBC News. October 2006. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
21. ^ "CDC | E. coli Outbreak From Spinach | What CDC and Other Agencies Are Doing - Sep. 16, 2006". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011.
22. "Multiple States Investigating a Large Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 14, 2006. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011.
23. "CDC Starts To Investigate E. coli Outbreak In Wisconsin". WISC-TV. September 16, 2006. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011.
24. "Ohio tot's death may be linked to tainted spinach". Dayton Daily News. September 18, 2006. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011.
25. "E. coli spinach scare increases to 21 states". CNN. September 19, 2006. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010.
26. "Farm water is suspected in outbreak". Mercury News. September 19, 2006. Archived from the original on January 25, 2007.
27. "Outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to fresh lettuce and spinach since 1993". Food Safety Network. September 18, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2006.
28. "Update on Multi-State Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections From Fresh Spinach, September 20, 2006". CDC. September 20, 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006.
29. Ritter, John (October 5, 2006). "Safety advocates, growers debate produce rules". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
30. (Reuters)
31. "Criminal Probe launched into the Spinach E. coli incident". Archived from the original on March 20, 2011.
32. "FBI investigates Spinach E. coli incident as a criminal matter".
33. "CBS News: Feds investigate outbreak". CBS News. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011.
34. Surak, John G. "A Recipe for Safe Food: ISO 22000 and HACCP". Quality Progress. October 2007. p. 21.

External links

• E. coli as an emerging pathogen from IFAS
• E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak from Fresh Spinach by CDC.
• Programme for monitoring emerging diseases (ProMED)
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency advisory
• Importing E. coli – Commentary by the Food Safety Network
• Don't Eat the Spinach – Controlling Foodborne Infectious Disease – Perspective article by D.G. Maki in N Engl J Med 2006; 355:1952-5
• California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement

• 2006 disease outbreaks
• 2006 disasters in the United States
• 2006 disasters in Canada
• Agriculture in California
• Disasters in New Jersey
• Escherichia coli outbreaks
• Food and drink in Canada
• Food recalls
• Health disasters in Canada
• Disease outbreaks in the United States
• Health disasters in North America
• Disease outbreaks in Canada
• Spinach