The mystery food behind an E. coli outbreak is more likely to be a “ready-to-eat” item than something cooked, a leading scientist has suggested.
Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said there have historically been a wide variety of foods associated with the rare Shiga toxigenic bug (STEC).
But he believes it is “very likely” that it is a “ready-to-eat product, possibly of dairy origin.”
Health officials are racing to identify the source of the STEC infection that has affected 113 people, mostly young adults, between May 25 and June 4, with more cases expected.
At least 37 people have required hospital treatment.
The mystery food behind an E. coli outbreak is more likely to be a “ready-to-eat” item than something cooked, a top scientist has suggested (file image)
Of the 113 cases, who range in age from two to 79, 81 occurred in England, 18 in Wales and 13 in Scotland. A case has been recorded in Northern Ireland, but authorities believe the person was infected in England.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it believes the wave of cases is due to a “nationally distributed food” or “multiple foods”.
Professor Pennington told the Mail on Sunday: “We have had outbreaks of STEC with foods that are to be cooked, the traditional types were meat products, minced meat and burgers etc, and cooking kills the insects.”
“If this were a food that would be made safe by cooking, you would expect that all the people who have gotten sick would not have cooked their food properly.”
He said this was “very unlikely” and, as a result, undercooked meats would “certainly not be at the top of my list” of suspects, adding: “It would be much more likely that they would be foods that are not going to be cooked before consumption.” .
‘We have had outbreaks associated with dairy products, for example.
‘Cheese is a classic, ice cream, we’ve had ice cream before. “There’s a whole range of dairy products that are being processed.”
When asked what he thought the mystery food might be, he said: “I would be casting my net very wide because the problem is that any processed food could, in theory, be contaminated.”
‘Now some products are higher on the list, such as cheeses. One of the questions I’m sure everyone has been asked is: “Have you ever eaten cheese made from unpasteurized milk?”
“That would be something I would consider pretty high on the list because we’ve had STEC outbreaks associated with cheese made from unpasteurized milk.”
Professor Pennington told the Mail on Sunday that cheese made from unpasteurized milk is high on his list of contaminated foods that may have caused the outbreak (file image)
Professor Pennington also highlighted that there are other non-dairy products that “could also be in the framework”.
He said identifying the mystery food can be “very difficult” as officials will rely heavily on infected people’s memories of what they have eaten, which could have faded and therefore be inaccurate.
Officials, he said, would be doing “old-fashioned detective work” to identify the source, but even if they did, little evidence could remain if it is not evenly distributed among batches or if the contaminated parts have already been consumed.
To limit the risk of infection, people are urged to wash their hands regularly, wash fruits and vegetables, and cook food properly.
People with symptoms of the virus, which include severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever, are advised not to go to work or school for at least 48 hours after symptoms disappear to avoid transmitting it.
People with diarrhea and vomiting are urged not to prepare food for others.
