EHEC cities prohibit selling Spanish cucumbers

Cities and regions are banning the sale of Spanish cucumbers that have not been tested for EHEC bacteria

27/05/2011

Due to the high level of EHEC infection, the first cities and regions are resorting to drastic measures and prohibiting the development of Spanish cucumbers in wholesaling and retailing. Thus, the city of Duisburg has banned the sale of Spanish cucumbers by a decree to all vegetable and business operators. The green cucumbers are under urgent suspicion to transport the EHEC germ. The city relies on a decree of the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Consumer Protection. If you sell raw cucumbers without first testing them for the EHEC germ, you are liable to prosecution. Not only retailers or importers, but also restaurants, snack bars, canteens and all other food businesses are affected by these strict requirements.

Costs for EHEC test must pay dealers themselves
„Such a test is far too expensive for us small greengrocer“, says a concerned retailer who is already complaining about the massive losses of the last few days. Because the costs are not covered by the health department or the city administration, but must be paid out of pocket. Therefore, according to a spokesman for the authorities, the traders should rather take the vegetables out of the trade and dispose of them properly. Probably, the cucumbers will not be bought anyway, even if they were tested.

The NRW Consumer Protection Ministry has today issued a comprehensive catalog of emergency measures to curb EHEC infections and to promote research into causes. „There are currently no indications that vegetables from North Rhine-Westphalia are the causative source or the vegetables from NRW burdened with EHEC germs. However, in order to ensure the utmost safety for consumers, we have now adopted a comprehensive package of measures. Our goal must be to find and close all possible and conceivable sources“, said Consumer Protection Minister Johannes Remmel.

Measures of the Ministry of Consumer Protection
1. Decree: Because of the confirmed contamination of Spanish cucumbers with EHEC germs, the NRW Consumption Ministry has decreed that only such Spanish cucumbers may be sold, distributed and further processed, if it has been proved beyond doubt by a certificate that they are free from a burden with EHEC. The companies in question are not just importers, wholesalers and retailers, but also restaurants, snack bars and public catering facilities and, where appropriate, other businesses. The food monitoring offices of the municipalities were instructed to implement this decree as soon as possible. The decree is to be observed immediately.

2. Recommendation: Since there is currently no certainty that other types of vegetables are not affected and contaminated apart from Spanish cucumbers, it is also strongly recommended that public catering facilities (canteens), restaurants and snack bars refrain from offering raw food, as long as their subcontractor can not confirm that the goods have no EHEC burden - or the cause of the current disease is clearly clarified. This recommendation also applies to all other consumers.

3. Preventive control: In order to ensure that no polluted goods are marketed by the wholesale markets of North Rhine-Westphalia, all wholesale markets are inspected and samples taken for examination at EHEC. Sampling will focus on cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes.

4. Coordination: At the Lanuv State Environmental Protection Agency, a crisis unit, the Food and Feed Safety Control Center (LaKoLF), has been activated, which collects and analyzes all relevant information and keeps in close contact with the local authorities.

Already yesterday, as part of the research for the causes of a nationwide testing of the vegetable suppliers prepared. At the same time, the irrigation systems from surface waters are to be analyzed precisely. When the first results are available can not be said at present.

Also comes a bio-weapon attack in question?
However, since the dangerous EHEC bacterium was found not only in Spanish but now also in Dutch cucumbers, the infection route is still not clearly established. Some researchers now close one „Biological Weapons terrorist attack“ With the help of modified EHEC bacteria in the laboratory, it is no longer entirely possible. The Laboratory for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) ordered by the Robert Koch Institute at the Institute of Hygiene of the University Hospital Münster (UKM) has identified the EHEC type of the strain. According to the scientists, this is the EHEC type „HUSEC 41“ of the sequence type ST678. Because this combination is very rare, it could be quickly combined "that patient samples from four different cities had to be the same strain." "This is one of 42 representative EHEC types of the HUSEC collection, which the Institute for Hygiene has established together with its colleagues at the Robert Koch Institute in Wernigerode from 588 EHEC strains of patients with HUS from 1996 to 2011“, explains Helge Karch, director of the institute in Münster. These bacteria are also resistant to penicillin and antibiotics.

Since this very rare combination occurred in patients from four different cities, some virologists now suspect that the infection may also be a consciously forced attack. So far, a "Bioterror thesis" is not confirmed or commented on by the official side. (Sb)

Other articles about EHEC:
EHEC: No raw fruits and vegetables for pregnant women
EHEC Causes: The pathogen on the trail
Symptoms of EHEC infection
First deaths from EHEC infections
No antibiotic in EHEC
Enigmatic infections caused by EHEC pathogens

Gerd Altmann / dauni (food photos.com)