After weeks of E. Coli illnesses that have taken 35 lives in
Germany, left 3,255 ill and 812 with kidney failure, it has been
determined that bean and seed sprouts are the source of the E.
Coli bacteria. Previously it was thought that the illnesses
could be originating from cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce. It
could well have been that eating the salad ingredients in
combination with sprouts led to the confusion of which foods
were actually to blame. Now it has been found that rarer forms
of E. Coli are being detected in the United States. Recently,
federal officials stated that national monitoring of foodborne
illnesses revealed that a growing number of illnesses last year
from a group of rare E. Coli bacteria related to the highly
dangerous strain that has been sweeping across Germany. It seems
that the most common form of E. Coli affecting U.S. citizens,
O157:H7, was not the predominant strain in the year 2010. Those
rarer strains recently found in Germany accounted for more
illnesses during this time period