Five more E. coli cases linked to California farms

Health officials linked five more E. coli cases to spinach produced on California farms, a newspaper report said on Wednesday.

A nationwide E. coli outbreak linked to California's coastal counties sickened five more people, bringing the number of cases to 192 in 26 states, the Los Angeles Times quoted federal officials as saying.

Meanwhile, health investigators found that fecal samples from cows in pastures "right next door" to two Central California spinach fields tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7, according to the report.

"The real key here is to see if the strain of 0157:H7 matches up with the outbreak strain," said Kevin Reilly, deputy director for prevention services at the Department of Health Services.

Tests to determine a genetic match will take about two more days, Reilly said.

If the strains match, investigators will need to figure out how the bacteria from the cow feces spread to the nearby spinach fields. Possibilities include irrigation water and roaming cattle.

Federal health officials last week lifted a warning against eating fresh spinach other than products that had already been recalled. The more than 40 brands had "best if used by" dates of Aug. 17 through Oct. 1.

The report did not name the counties suspected of spreading the disease. But earlier reports said tainted spinach came from facilities and farms in three California counties -- San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey.

California growers produce about three-quarters of the nation's spinach, and about 60 percent of it comes from the three-county region that has been implicated in the outbreak. Other spinach- producing counties are Ventura, Imperial and Riverside.

Source: Xinhua