A rare ecoli strain has been found in several countries. This would be unusal to be found at the same time in several countries where they do not have the same suppler of the vegetable source. A friend of mine at Emory said that they did not want to overreact but it looked like a terrorist act. what do you think?
E.coli outbreak 'was rare strain'
The rare strain is more difficult to detect in tests
A rare strain of E.coli O157 was behind the outbreak of the bug linked to a nursery in Fife, according to experts.
Health Protection Scotland (HPS) said the strain had been seen in Europe and Australia but was rare in the UK.
A spokesman said the unusual bacterium was hard to identify and clinicians were being urged to be vigilant when testing samples.
The strain has been linked to 13 cases in Dunfermline, four other single cases in Scotland and four cases in England.
HPS said it was working with its sister agency in England to determine the possible origin of the bug, known as Sorbitol-fermenting Vero cytotoxin.
HPS consultant Dr John Cowden said clinicians had been urged to ensure the unusual strain was not missed when dealing with samples from patients who were suspected of having any kind of E.coli O157.
'Identical symptoms'
He said: "This unusual strain reacts differently in the laboratory from other types of E.coli O157 and this is why we are interested in finding out more about it.
2006-09-23
16:50:51
·
15 answers
·
asked by
circusdejojo
3
in
Law Enforcement & Police