If E.Coli is intestinal bacteria, why is it being found in our spinach?

Question

I am curious as to why we are finding E.Coli in our vegetables, when it is a bacteria that resides in animals guts, or around natural hot springs? Here is a little definition from Wikipedia:
"Escherichia coli ... usually abbreviated to E. coli, discovered by Theodor Escherich, a German pediatrician and bacteriologist, is one of the main species of bacteria that live in the lower intestines of mammals. They have also been located on the edge of hot springs. They are necessary for the proper digestion of food and are part of the intestinal flora. Its presence in groundwater is a common indicator of fecal contamination."
So if it is a problem with groundwater, are we watering our spinach plants with contaminated water? What are some solutions that we can use to fix this problem?

Answer 1

The company widely considered to be the source for the infected spinach, Natural Selections, has stated that all packaged spinach has been of the non-organic variety. However, an FDA spokesperson has specifically stated that the FDA hasn't cleared any products. The first article below doesn't say so, but I assume the lack of organic spinach being cited by victims of the outbreak could be more easily attributed to the fact that less people BUY the organic variety.

If it does turn out that the source spinach is not grown organically, it seems that ground water contamination is a more likely source than manure from infected animals... but that's only if the non-organic variety is grown using artificial fertilizer.

According to the second article, from the Christian Science Monitor, the source could even be feces from birds who ate infected animal feces. But that seems a little far fetched considering the widespread nature of this outbreak.

As far as possible solutions, it seems increased monitoring of groundwater sources would be needed, probably by the FDA. This article likens the current situation to that in the 1990's, when the FDA was given more power to regulate the beef industry after a series of outbreaks of E. coli were linked to ground beef.

Answer 2

Most likely it's because the water used to irrragate the crops was contaminated. That's usually the culprit. When the contamination is in meat, it's usually caused by poor techinques in butchering that result in intestinal contents being spilled over the flesh.

Factory farming is a leading cause of groundwater contamination, as is poor sewage systems in cities. In some cases, its just natural, and one of the risks of life.

Also note that E. coli is normally harmless, but one variant HO157 can be dangerous. It is important as an indicator organism, when you find it, it means there's probably fecal contamination, which has a long list of possible bacterial, fungal, and parasitic problems.

Answer 3

Because ... and this is going to absolutely GROSS YOU OUT ...

Sewage plants ( this is our human, raw sewage plant, typical of all cities in the USA ) filters out HUMAN FECES and sells it to farmers as fertilizer.

Believe it or not, this is completely true.

Fecal germs such as Hepatitis, Aids, and other diseases such as Ecoli are dumped directly onto onions and other types of grond-grown products and are absorbed directly into the soil.

Because it's a plant, usually it does not carry disease, however in 2000, there was a rumor that a Mexican cut his hand while cutting onions and caused the green onion Hepatitis B outbreaks, nationwide. Proven wrong, by 20/20, by showing how the farmer bought raw sewage, this has shown the American people the truth...and this is most likely a cause of the Ecoli spinach problem, as well.

I would guess that the raw plants, themselves, were sprayed with the sewage prior to being harvested, and that some plants, even washed, still contain the topical sewage, and Ecoli bacteria.

Answer 4

--- because E-COli has many strains "types" each type has his own and separate life cycle for example the type found at human has many "sub types" each of them can live at and affect specific organ or tissue which can not live at other tissues at the human
-- intestinal e-coli found normally at newborn baby "breastfeeding baby" I mean it has it own life cycle at human
-- there is over 700 types of e-coli
-- So e-coli of intestine is not the same e-coli of spinach

Answer 5

It comes from the feces of animals, and the water with which the vegetables are being sprayed is contaminated from runoff.

Answer 6

Because Buck the cook forgot to wash his hands after umm...well...you know.

OK sorry that was gross. Actually one way to fix the problem is to steam the vegetables for extended periods or irradiate them with ultra-violet light.

Peace

Answer 7

My friend called up her uncle who is a farmer that knows what other farmers do, and she said that they spray the spinach with sewage water.

Answer 8

because that bacteria is found in animal droppings and the manure used to fertilize the spinach is made of those droppings, so if you don't wash your veggies, you are eating manure (bacteria)

Answer 9

Someone who's handling the greens isn't washing they're hands before leaving the bathroom!

Answer 10

wow cherlyou did some resurch she deserves the 10 points