Diary 341: E.coli bacteria

Be ware of the below news reported in The Star, 4 June 2011.

BERLIN: More than 1,600 people have been infected by a toxic strains of E.coli bacteria that has killed at least 18 and may be the deadliest yet in human history, health officials said.

Germany is the centre of the outbreak.

Some 1,624 people in Europe and the United States have so far become ill, probably eating contaiminated vegetables and salads.

With the exact source of illness still a mystery, consumers appear to be increasingly nervous around the world.

E.coli bacteria themselves are harmless.

But the strain that is making people sick in Europe has the ability to stick to intestinal walls where it pumps out toxins, sometimes causing sever bloody diarrhoea and other complications.

Implication for consumers: take care of the vegetables and salads consumed.