No Smoking Cow In E. Coli Spinach Scare

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No " Smoking Cow " In E. Coli Spinach Scare

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10/16/2006 6:56:00 AM

 

No " Smoking Cow " In E. Coli Spinach Scare

 

Investigators believe that the E. coli present in spinach distributed

nationwide from fields in California's Salinas Valley may have

originated at a cattle ranch a mile from the fields, " but we don't have

a smoking cow yet, " said Dr. Kevin Reilly, an official with California's

Department of Health Services, according to AP.

 

Narrowing the search to one ranch has reassured spinach growers that the

cause can be isolated and eliminated, but health officials said that

they were nowhere near the end of their investigation, and that the

match to the strain that killed two and sickened hundreds doesn't prove

that the ranch is the only source, or even a source at all.

 

Investigators believe the E. coli was the result of runoff into

groundwater that was then used for irrigation, but they are also looking

at other causes, such as animals breaking through fencing to wander in

the fields, direct human transference, and other causes.

 

by Pete Hisey on Monday, October 16, 2006