A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is spreading in Europe, as the bacteria has killed 17 Germans and one Swede and infected over 2,000 people in 12 European countries. Chinese scientists who have fully sequenced the genome of the new E. Coli spreading through Europe said Saturday they found genes in the bacteria that gave it resistance to eight classes of antibiotics.

    So far, the sources for the disease are still unclear, plunging Europe into a tainted cucumber scare. This incident indicates again that the food security problem bears on everybody's health, posing a conundrum for the world.

    The epidemic caused by the deadly E. coli bacteria, which was first identified in Germany last week, has killed 17 Germans and one Swede and infected over 2,000 people in 12 European countries.  The number of people suffering from serious hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) due to the infection has reached 470 in Germany.

  

    "Bioinformatics analysis revealed that this E. coli is a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic,"  the Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzhen (BGI-Shenzhen) said in the report, adding that the bacterium is an EHEC serotype O104 E. coli strain, which has never been involved in any E. coli outbreaks before.

    German authorities had initially suspected cucumbers imported from Spain as one possible source of the E. coli outbreak, but German laboratory tests on Tuesday ruled out Spanish cucumbers as the source.

 

    Germany's national disease center, the Robert Koch Institute, suggested people avoid eating raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce for a while. It was the second food scare for European consumers this year. In January, highly toxic dioxin was found in eggs, poultry and pork products across Germany.

 E. coli Infections

Germany says its initial E. coli sample tests on sprouts negative

BERLIN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The German authorities said on Monday that Germany's first sample tests of the allegedly contaminated bean sprouts have found no E. coli strains that have sickened more than 2,000 people in Europe. Full story

One E.coli case identified in Finland

HELSINKI, June 3 (Xinhua) -- One case of the E.coli (EHEC) bacterial infection has been diagnosed in Helsinki, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare said Friday. Full story

Confirmed E. coli cases rise to 17 in Denmark

COPENHAGEN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed cases of severe intestinal infection caused by a deadly E. coli outbreak has risen to 17 in Denmark, authorities said Thursday.  Full story

Europe on alert over tainted cucumber scare

BRUSSELS, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is sending Europe on high alert, as death toll from the disease climbed to 16 till Tuesday.  Full story

Lab tests free Spanish cucumbers from deathful disease in Germany

BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- German laboratory tests on Tuesday ruled out Spanish cucumbers as the source for spreading fatal enterohamorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) which has killed at least 16 people within Europe.  Full story

Danish cucumbers do not contain E. coli bacteria: health authorities

COPENHAGEN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Danish cucumbers do not contain the harmful E. coli bacteria believed to be triggering an outbreak of severe intestinal infections in northern Europe, Danish health authorities said Tuesday.  Full story

Germany finds deadly E. coli virus in Spanish cucumbers

BERLIN, May 26 (Xinhua) -- German health officials said Thursday that cucumbers imported from Spain was one source of a recent deadly E. coli outbreak in northern states that killed three people and made hundreds sick. Full story

 New E.coli strain discovered

 
Sino-German research finds new E. Coli bacteria resistant to 8 classes of antibiotics

SHENZHEN, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists who have fully sequenced the genome of the new E. Coli spreading through Europe said Saturday they found genes in the bacteria that gave it resistance to eight classes of antibiotics. Full story

Chinese, German researchers identify sequence of deadly E. coli

BERLIN, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The recent outbreak of deadly E. coli in Europe was caused by an entirely new super-toxic strain, Chinese and German researchers said Thursday, after finishing sequencing its genome. Full story

New E.coli strain discovered to cause outbreak

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhuanet) --A highly infectious new strain of E.coli bacteria is causing a deadly outbreak of food poisoning in Germany and other countries. Experts from the World Health Organization, Germany and China revealed their findings Thursday. Full story

British researchers say copper could stop new E. Coli strain

 Impact of E. Coli outbreak

 
Russia waiting for EU explanation on source of E.coli: Putin

MOSCOW, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia is waiting to hear from the European Commission about the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak before considering lifting a ban on EU fresh vegetable import, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Friday. Full story

Russia bans EU vegetable imports

MOSCOW, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia has banned the import of all fresh vegetables from all European Union member states because of an outbreak of the E.coli bacteria, the country's sanitary watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Thursday. Full

Spain to seek for compensation over E.coli infection crisis

MADRID, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Environment Minister Rosa Aguilar said Tuesday that Spain would seek compensation for the losses caused by the E.coli infection crisis. Full story

Ukraine tightens control over vegetable imports from EU

Spain loses over 500 jobs due to cucumber crisis

 

 

  
 Video

New E.coli strain discovered to cause outbreak

Europe gripped by e-coli outbreak, death toll rise to 16

Cucumber sales plummet in Europe

Spain welcomes German lab findings

E-coli outbreak hits N Europe

 Photos

E. coli infection cases rise sharply in Germany

E. coli cucumber blame brings loss to Spanish agriculture

Our cucumbers no problem: Spanish authorities

Editor: Lu Hui