Unknown Source of E.Coli in Germany Affects Women
By: Christine Arteta
Published: June 1, 2011

Last week, we reported that the E.Coli outbreak was caused by cucumbers from Spain. The German health officials now proclaim that the E.Coli strain found in the Spanish cucumbers is different from the strain that sickened over 1,000 Europeans and killed 16 people. Rico Schmidt of Hamburg Health Ministry told Food Safety News that this is by far the most terrible event of his career. This week, the number of critically ill patients grew to 110. A puzzling observation is that those who caught E.Coli are predominantly (younger) women. A representative from Hamburg University’s Medical Center said, “Maybe those women just tend to eat more salad than others.” The investigation is on-going and the public is advised to avoid eating raw cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes. Without the known cause, effective prevention is difficult.