Monday, June 13, 2011
Why bean sprouts?
First it was Spanish cucumbers, then salad vegetables, now bean sprouts are the prime suspect in the search for a source of the E. coli outbreak.
German officials are waiting for further test results to confirm any link, but they believe there is a connection with infected patients and bean sprouts grown at one farm in Uelzen, south of Hamburg.
It is not the first time bean sprouts - including adzuki, alfalfa, lentils and mung beans - have been associated with a health scare.
They were linked to an outbreak of Salmonella in the UK in 2010 and at least 30 outbreaks in the US since 1996.
The way they are farmed and how they are prepared in the kitchen both contain potential risks.
Bean sprouts are often used in salads. If the vegetable is contaminated then eating it raw could be a health risk.
Advice on the Food Standards Agency website says that to be completely safe the sprouts should be cooked thoroughly until they are steaming hot.
It also advises rinsing before cooking and not eating them after the use by date.
Bean sprouts are grown from seeds in steam drums at a temperature of 38C.
Causes of past E.coli outbreaksProcessed meats: hamburgers, kebabs and salamiCheese, milk, butter, yoghurt, ice cream and other dairy productsSalad vegetables such as coleslaw, lettuce, spinach, radishes and alfafa sproutsFruits including melons, grapes and apple juiceWaterborne outbreaks associated with lakes, ponds, paddling and swimming pools
As the agriculture minister for Lower Saxony, Gert Lindemann, puts it, this is "ideal" breeding ground for all bacteria.
However, it is uncertain how the O104 strain of E. coli could get there in the first place. The bacterium normally lives in the gut of animals and E. coli outbreaks can start when faeces are used as fertiliser or when they contaminate water.
However, Klaus Verbeck, managing director of the farm in Germany, is reported as saying: "The salad sprouts are grown only from seeds and water, and they aren't fertilised at all. There aren't any animal fertilisers used in other areas on the farm either."
It is possible that even if tests confirm that the outbreak started at the farm, this might not be the ultimate source.
Dr Stephen Smith, a clinical microbiologist at Trinity College Dublin, said: "E. coli can stick tightly to the surface of seeds needed to make sprouts and they can lay dormant on the seeds for months, during germination the population of bugs can expand 100,000 fold.
"However, and this is probably the key to the German outbreak, the bacteria are inside the sprout tube as well as outside. Thus washing probably had no effect. The bottom line is that it is crucial to source where the seeds came from and recall any stock."
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-13665785
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