People Urged To Avoid Romaine Lettuce Following E. Coli Outbreak

Residents in several U.S. states have been advised to refrain from eating romaine lettuce until the cause of an E. coli outbreak is identified, and the offending product is removed from store shelves, consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports says.

The organization made announcement this week following an E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 58 people in the United States and Canada, with the source of the tainted product still undetermined.

Canadian authorities have identified romaine lettuce as the culprit behind the deadly outbreak, but American health officials say they continue to investigate it. The CDC has not yet told consumers avoid romaine lettuce or any other food because no specific product has been recalled, the agency said.

"Because we have not identified a source of the infections, CDC is unable to recommend whether U.S. residents should avoid a particular food. This investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available," the CDC said on its website.

So far, the CDC has received 17 cases of illnesses: three in California, two from Connecticut, and one each from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont and Washington. The CDC is reporting that illnesses started from Nov. 15 through Dec. 8, 2017. The Public Health Agency of Canada also is investigating an outbreak of STEC O157:H7 infections in several provinces.

The CDC is reporting that whole-genome sequencing is being performed on samples of bacteria making people sick in the United States to give the organization information about whether these illnesses are related to similar illnesses in Canada. Preliminary results show that the type of E. coli making people sick in both countries is closely related genetically, meaning the ill people are more likely to share a common source of infection.

In the United States, state and local public health officials are interviewing sick people to determine what they ate in the week before their illness started. The CDC is still collecting information to determine whether there is a food item in common among sick people, including leafy greens and romaine.

By Kara Seymour, Patch National Staff

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