German tests link bean sprouts to deadly E. coli

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News 10 June 2011 Last updated at 10:09

New data released in Germany strongly suggest that locally produced bean sprouts were, as suspected, the source of the deadly E. coli outbreak.

"It's the bean sprouts," said Reinhard Burger, head of Germany's centre for disease control.

"People who ate sprouts were nine times more likely to have bloody diarrhoea than those who did not," he added.

He warned that the outbreak, which has killed 29 people and sickened some 3,000, was not over.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13725953

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Please note : this isn't a duplicate from some days back. The initial claim had been dismissed but now appears to be correct. It's breaking on BBC now.

[xchrom]

1. Let's hope they have it right this time. Nt

[JJW]

2. Change the title

The article states that not a single test has turned out positive, so your title is completely inaccurate.

They still blame organic farming (lol).

[dipsydoodle]

3. You may not be aware of DU rules on LBN subjects.

The exact title from the link must be used at all times.

Locally produced does not mean organic farming. It means locally produced - that's all.

[trotsky]

4. Organic farming means you use natural fertilizer.

And guess where E. coli comes from.

[happyslug]

6. Depends on your definition of "Organic" the use of Natural Fertilizer is NOT such required US

For details see the following USDA Pamphlet:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organiccrop.html

Which contains the following:
Foliar Fertilization
Foliar fertilization or feeding entails the application — via spraying — of nutrients to plant leaves and stems and their absorption at those sites. It is not specifically an organic practice, though it is commonly used by many organic growers. The fertilizer materials used are typically soluble fish- and seaweed-based products, naturally chelated nutrients, humic acid extracts, and teas made from plants, dried blood, manure, guano, or compost.

At first glance, the use of foliar feeding appears contradictory to the organic notion that one feeds the soil to feed the plant. Organic growers rationalize the use of this approach on two points.

Foliar feeding is strictly supplemental fertilization; it is not used as a substitute for traditional soil building practices.
Foliar fertilization is understood to increase the production of root exudates, which stimulates biological activity in the rhizosphere (soil area adjacent to plant roots). The soil bio-life gets considerable benefit in this indirect way from foliar feeding.

i.e. You can use aerial spraying and still be "Organic" under the USDA definition. In actual practice, even more can be done and still get your crop marked "Organic" by the USDA. The USDA's definition of "Organic" is so bad, that most true organic farmers are avoiding the whole certification process, as a cover for non-organic farmers to sell their products as Organic. One of the chief problems of the USDA is that its primary job is to promote Agriculture i.e. large corporate farms, to make money, protection of people who eat food is at best a poor secondary consideration.

Just pointing our that the term "Organic" has slowly become to mean nothing more then Farmers raising crops and thus may not even be restricted to "natural fertilizers" (Even the above regulation uses the term "The fertilizer materials used are typically..." NOT "Shall be", thus permits other fertilizers to be used if it is "natural", which is another non-defined term (i.e. can be anything that occurs "naturally" even if it is heavy processed afterward into what we call Fertilizer).

[harun]

10. It wasn't because they were organic.

[trotsky]

13. I didn't say they were.

Please read.

[bemildred]

5. Unscientific babble.

A classic case of finding only what one goes looking for.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Try this then

Bean sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany caused the E coli outbreak that has killed 31 people and infected thousands more, German officials said on Friday.

Health inspectors have identified the source of the infections after linking patients who fell ill with the bug to 26 restaurants and cafes known to have received produce from the farm in Lower Saxony.

Reinhard Burger, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, which is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, told a press conference in Berlin there was sufficient evidence to implicate the farm, even though bean sprouts there had passed tests for the lethal microbe.

"It was possible to narrow down epidemiologically the highly probable cause of the outbreak of the illness to the consumption of sprouts," Burger said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/10/e-coli-bean-sprouts-blamed Friday 10 June 2011 18.26 BST

[bemildred]

12. Are we to think the bacteria live inside the sprouts?

Or could it be that the sprouts were not adequately washed, as all uncooked vegetables should be?

Is it OK to be more worried about where this new virulent strain of E. Coli came from than what handy surface it hitched a ride on?

[smirkymonkey]

7. What are people actually dying of? Dehydration from the diarrhea?

Or is there some other secondary infection that causes kidney failure?

[harun]

11. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic-uremic_syndrome

It's the toxins from this specific strain being particularly nasty, thus causing an increase in HUS. Which normally doesn't affect adults as much, but with this strain it is. Usually you see HUS in kids.

[nyy1998]

9. MAybe it's good for once in my life that I don't like to eat bean sprouts.

Of course, I'd have to be in Germany to be affected, but still, this is my exucse and I'm stick to it!