News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Federal and state health officials are investigating an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to mixed salad greens that has sickened at least 28 people in five East Coast states, most of them in New York.

(CIDRAP News) – Germany's infectious disease institute has declared that the Escherichia coli O104:H4 outbreak is over, now that the incubation period for the most recently confirmed case with links to the sprout seed–related event has passed.

(CIDRAP News) – Europe's Escherichia coli O104:H4 outbreak is a reminder that even countries with strong public health systems are vulnerable to epidemics and that systems for detecting and responding to diseases need to be continually strengthened, Dr Marc Sprenger, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – Reported severe illnesses caused by Escherichia coli in Germany and neighboring countries continued to pile up in recent days, while mysteries about the source of the infection, why it's so severe, and why it seems to strike mainly women remained unresolved.

(CIDRAP News) – Researchers from Michigan State University have shown that genetic differences in Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains relate to virulence, confirming suspicions public health experts have had and shedding light on why patients in recent outbreaks seem to have had more severe symptoms.