At least two people have been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) after eating spinach and salad greens tainted with E.coli. HUS, the most common cause of kidney failure in children, is a condition that develops in some people suffering from E.coli poisoning. The two people hospitalized are among the 28 victims of a five-state E. coli outbreak that has hospitalized 10 people.
The outbreak began in New York and now includes cases in Connecticut, Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. A spinach and spring mix blend sold at Wegmans grocery stores has been identified as one source of the outbreak. Many of those sickened in New York reported eating the Wegmans salad blend before becoming ill. And samples taken from four leftover packages collected from the homes of some of those who became ill tested positive for a strain of E.coli O157:H7 that is a genetic match to the outbreak strain. However, all of the case patients outside of New York mentioned eating other brands of pre-packaged leafy greens before they became ill. Those brands are being investigated.
The number of those ill in each state is as follows: Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (2), New York (22), Pennsylvania (1), and Virginia (1). The case patients, who range in age from 4 to 66 years old, first became ill between October 18, 2012 and November 3, 2012. Most of them, 68 percent, are female.
Symptoms of E.coli poisoning include abdominal cramping and diarrhea which can sometimes be bloody. Anyone who has these symptoms should contact a health care provider. HUS, a severe complication of E.coli poisoning, requires hospital care and can be fatal untreated.
