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Other E. coli Strains Emerge to Pose Deadly Food Poisoning Risk

The battle against E. coli food poisoning has focused primarily on the deadliest strain of E. coli that has been responsible for thousands of food poisoning incidents over the years, and hundreds of deaths. However, the New York Times is reporting that this single-minded focus on a single strain has led to the emergence of at least six other strains of E. coli as deadly pathogens with serious potential to cause illness.

The deadliest strain of E. coli is E. coli O157:H7. This year, the government banned the selling of meat products that contained E. coli O157:H7. This particular strain of E. coli has been the subject of federal regulations, and has been linked to massive recalls of products, including millions of hamburger patties and other foods. However, while federal regulators and California food poisoning lawyers have focused all their attention on E. coli O157:H7, other strains of E. coli have emerged as a serious food safety hazard. These hazards came to light in April this year when E. coli tainted romaine lettuce had to be recalled after a food poisoning epidemic led to at least 26 people falling ill. At least three of the victims suffered kidney failure from the E. coli poisoning.

There is enough reason to believe that the risks from the six other E. coli strains are huge. All six strains are hard to detect. Very little is known about these E. coli strains. Very few companies test their products for the presence of these pathogens. Doctors are not trained to actively look for these pathogens when they come across patients with symptoms of E. coli poisoning. These pathogens are also very difficult to detect in a lab setting. In fact, just about 5% of labs in the country have the equipment necessary to detect these six deadly E. coli strains.

E. coli O157:H7 has a physiological quirk that actually makes it easy to detect in a lab setting. This easy detection also means that food companies have not had a major problem initiating screening procedures to detect this strain in their products. Many companies have such processes in place to detect E. coli O157:H7 pathogens in their products. Testing for the other E. coli strains however, is not that easy. It can be time-consuming, and testing can be very expensive.

The Department of Agriculture is currently working on testing methods that can quicken the process of detecting the six other E. coli pathogens. Quick testing is going to be very important if federal authorities plan to require mandatory testing for all six strains of E. coli. Food companies are likely to resist any pressure to conduct such testing if it is not affordable, efficient and quick.

There is some hope on the horizon. A new chief is set to take over at the Department of Agriculture’s food safety division.  California food poisoning attorneys will keep their fingers crossed, hoping that stronger new initiatives will address the risks from the six E. coli strains, and not just one.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of food poisoning. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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