Yes, the German E. coli O104:H4 was a pathogen of a high virulence that suddenly emerged, and that might point to an unnatural phenomenon. But might it have been a deliberate act? Or some kind of accident? To be sure, the 2011 outbreak centered on Northern Germany was large, severe, and deadly. Out of the…
German Court: Compensate Cucumber Grower Wrongly Accused in E. Coli Outbreak
A court in Hamburg, Germany, has decided that a Spanish vegetable grower and distributor should be compensated for losses sustained after its cucumbers were wrongly named as the likely source of a 2011 outbreak of the rare and deadly E. coli O104:H4. Near the peak of the outbreak that eventually sickened 4,075 and caused…
2011 Outbreak of Rare E. Coli Strain was Costly for Europe
The World Health Organization (WHO) has totaled up some economic costs of the 2011 outbreak of the rare and deadly E. coli O104:H4 centered on Northern Europe. Farmers and industries lost $1.3 billion, and emergency aid provided to 22 European states cost another $236 million, according to WHO. 
The novel E. coli strain was the…
Emerging Pathogens: Is E. Coli O104:H4 the Next Strain to Watch?
In May 2011, a virtually unknown strain of E. coli, known as O104:H4, made worldwide headlines when an outbreak in Germany sickened approximately 4,000 people and killed 50, including one American. This event, linked to fresh sprouts, quickly became the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in history. 
In the days following the first reports of illness,…
Research Could Lead to E. coli O104 Treatments
Last year’s German E. coli outbreak made headlines around the world in May and June as it sickened nearly 3,800 people and killed 50, distinguishing it as the single deadliest foodborne illness outbreak of all time. The outbreak was a dramatic entrance to the world stage for the microbe at the center of it all,…
European E. coli Outbreak Sheds New Light on Treatment Strategies
It is an accepted fact among medical experts that an E. coli infection should not be treated with antibiotics, as these drugs may worsen illness. But a new review of strategies used to treat victims of last year’s European E. coli outbreak shows that a combination of two or more antibiotics may have helped patients…
EU Tallies Human & Economic Damages From O104 Outbreak
Bureaucrats in Brussels have tallied up the damage last year’s E. coli O104:H4 outbreak did to the European fruit and vegetable business and threatened to use European Union law to make sure it does not happen again. Yet, the newly released “Commission Staff Working Document” into “lessons learned” about the 2011 outbreak probably won’t shake…
Spanish Farmers Paid a Price for Europe’s E. coli O104 Outbreak
The Murcia region in southeastern Spain, where the Segura River is found, is known as Europe’s orchid because of its abundant production of fruits, vegetables and flowers. But Murcia is coming off a down year because of a variety of factors, not the least of which was the virulent E. coli outbreak last spring centered…
O104:H4 Genome Sequencing Used to Kill the Bug
The deadly pathogen known as E. coli O104:H4, which devastated northern Europe last year, can itself be killed, San Francisco-based AvidBiotics Corporation announced Wednesday.
Dean Scholl, who leads a team of scientists from AvidBiotics and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the group has created a highly targeted bactericidal protein to kill the life-threatening foodborne …
Antibiotic May Reduce Time Patients Carry E. Coli
Antibiotics are not usually recommended for treating E. coli infections; however one of these drugs showed promising results when given to victims of last year’s massive European outbreak linked to sprouts.
Azithromycin, administered to patients to prevent the spread of meningitis, was associated with a shorter duration of shedding of the E. coli O104:H4 bacteria …