E.coli update, and what you can do (or not do)

May 01--Researchers are still trying to run down the source of an E.coli contamination that has, as of April 30 (last available figures), sickened 98 people in 22 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). North Carolina had not reported any cases by that date.

When E.coli contamination is found in the restaurant industry, it is generally because of poor hygiene practices. To put it bluntly, some worker or workers used the restroom and returned to handle food without washing their hands.

This outbreak is not believed to have started in the restaurant. It is thought to have occurred in the fields, specifically the romaine lettuce fields of Yuma, Ariz.

The CDC reports, "Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 13, 2018, to April 20, 2018. Ill people range in age from 1 to 88 years, with a median age of 31. Sixty-five percent of ill people are female. Of 87 people with information available, 46 (53 percent) have been hospitalized, including 10 people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported."

More people may have been affected and have not reported or have been diagnosed yet. There is a lag of 2-3 weeks between the point at which people get sick and the time when the CDC is notified.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified one farm in Yuma as the source of the whole-head romaine lettuce that sickened several people at a correctional facility in Alaska. However, the agency has not determined where in the supply chain the contamination occurred.

When E.coli is found in the field, the culprit is typically either the contaminated irrigation water or animals that have intentionally or unintentionally been allowed to roam the fields where the vegetables are grown.

The FDA is quick to note that officials are not certain the contamination happened in the fields. It could have occurred at any point along the growing, harvesting, packaging and distribution chain.

We are being told that the romaine lettuce season is over in the Yuma area. Suppliers are now sourcing lettuce from California and other areas. This is a normal pattern as we go into summer. Cool season crops move northward as temperatures heats up.

That means you are safe to purchase your mixed salad greens or romaine lettuce from sources outside Arizona. But how do you prevent an E.coli problem in your own garden?

First, never use uncomposted or fresh manure around your vegetables. Do I even need to tell you not to use human waste to fertilize the garden? (Please say no.)

Don't use fresh manure to make a compost tea. Compost tea is just manure that has been added to water and used to irrigate crops. Obviously, those of you with chickens and pigs should not allow those animals to free range in your garden. What they don't eat or trample is likely to be contaminated by fecal matter.

It goes without saying that any produce from the garden should be washed before consumption. However, getting E.coli off leaf or head lettuce is virtually impossible. Prevention is the key.

If you are following this story, you can get the latest information on the search for the source and/or the cause at https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm604254.htm.

* J.D. Walker's garden column appears each Thursday. Follow her on Facebook at GardenSown.

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