The CDC says the romaine lettuce E. coli danger across the country may be over, CBS News reported, with federal officials believing all the tainted lettuce may be off store and restaurant shelves by now. The exact cause of the outbreak remained unknown.
Romaine lettuce harvested in Yuma, Arizona had been blamed for the source of the outbreak in April, CBS News said, and as of Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had documented 172 cases of E. coli in 32 states possibly connected to the lettuce.
California recorded the largest number of cases with 39, followed by Pennsylvania with 21, Minnesota with 12 and Illinois with 11, the CDC reported.
"The FDA has received confirmation from the Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement administered by the Arizona Department of Agriculture that romaine lettuce is no longer being produced and distributed from the Yuma growing region and that the last date of harvest was April 16, 2018," the FDA website said.
"It is unlikely that any romaine lettuce from the Yuma growing region is still available in stores or restaurants due to its 21-day shelf life. … The ongoing traceback investigation indicates that the illnesses associated with this outbreak cannot be explained by a single grower, harvester, processor, or distributor. While traceback continues, FDA will focus on trying to identify factors that contributed to contamination of romaine across multiple supply chains."
The CDC reported Wednesday that 23 more ill people from 13 states since its last update on May 9. The agency said it takes from two to three weeks from when a person becomes ill with E. coli to when the illness is actually reported to them.
The CDC said that from the 172 cases connected with the outbreak, 75 people have been hospitalized, including 20 people who have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome. The first death from the outbreak was reported this month in California.
E. coli, or Escherichia coli, is bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals, the CDC said. While most E. coli is harmless and an important part of a healthy human intestinal tract, it can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, bloodstream infections, and other illnesses.
The types of E. coli that can cause illness can be transmitted through contaminated water or food, or through contact with animals or people, the CDC said.
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