CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Consumer Reports is urging residents of the US and Canada to avoid eating romaine lettuce due to a recent outbreak of E coli infections.
Over the past two months, 58 people in the US and Canada have fallen ill from a dangerous strain of E coli bacteria which is possibly linked to the lettuce. There was one death in Canada and one death in the US, according to Consumer Reports.
This particular strain of E coli produces a toxin that can lead to serious illness or death.
The CDC, several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating the outbreak. Preliminary results show that the type of E. coli making people sick in both countries is closely related genetically, meaning the ill people are more likely to share a common source of infection, according to the CDC.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has identified romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak in Canada. In the United States, state and local public health officials are interviewing sick people to determine what they ate in the week before their illness started. CDC is still collecting information to determine whether there is a food item in common among sick people, including leafy greens and romaine.
“Because we have not identified a source of the infections, CDC is unable to recommend whether U.S. residents should avoid a particular food,” the CDC report said. “This investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.”