Being a microbiologist can be a pain. Everything I eat or drink might be contaminated with a microorganism that could make me ill (Someday I will give you my list of foods and drinks that could potentially make us sick.). Sometimes it takes the fun out of eating. Of course you wouldn't know it if you took one look at me.
I knew eating undercooked hamburgers could cause problems. A hamburger processing plant in Nebraska (Midwestern United States, Hudson Foods Inc.) recalled 25 million pounds of hamburger in August (1997). Undercooked hamburgers have been known to cause bacterial diarrhea for over a decade (Remember, Jack-in-the-Box; 1985).
However, now even eating alfalfa sprouts could cause diarrhea. About two months ago contaminated alfalfa sprouts (June and July 1997) were causing bacterial diarrhea in people in Michigan (Midwestern United States) and Virginia (Eastern United States). The hamburger and the alfalfa sprouts were both contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7. What will be next? My croutons!?
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a bacteria that causes cramps, dehydration, severe bloody diarrhea, and in rare cases can be fatal. People most likely to die from this infection are children (less than 5 years old) and the elderly. Patients who die from this illness have problems with their kidneys and their blood does not clot properly. The official name of this potentially fatal complication is Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Only about 3% of the children with cramps and diarrhea develop HUS. Numbers on how common HUS is in the elderly is not currently known.
Please don't be overly alarmed. Most people (90-98%) will get over the cramps and diarrhea without developing HUS. Over 20,000 people per year get this diarrhea in the United States. Escherichia coli is present in our own intestines and is very useful in keeping our intestines healthy. We don't have a constant case of diarrhea because there are many different types of Escherichia coli (also look at this on Escherichia coli.). Only a few types of Escherichia coli, like Echerichia coli O157:H7, can cause diarrhea whereas most other types are helpful inside our intestines.
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control believes the alfalfa sprouts were germinated from seeds that were contaminated with Echerichia coli O157:H7. Alfalfa seeds are considered a raw agricultural commodity and can become contaminated with Echerichia coli O157:H7 from the waste materials (manure) of cattle. No one currently knows how to decomtaminate these seeds. Any bright ideas out there?
The hamburger was also believed to be contaminated by the cattle's waste materials. The Hudson plant is now working to find out how the meat was contaminated and clean up the problem. The truth is there will always be
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