Purple Poop? Pigment Producing E.coli As BioSensors
What do you get when one artist, one designer and seven Cambridge University biology undergraduates engineer a new strain of E.coli? Purple poop.
Actually, colored poop is just one of a rainbow of potential applications for E. chromi, an engineered strain of E. coli that secretes color in the presence of pollutants. E. coli bacteria are sensitive to environmental pollutants. When the team of artists and scientists equipped them with a pigment-producing device that switches on in the presence of various toxins, they created a way to use bacteria as an inexpensive, user-friendly biosensor.
Potential applications include a cheap disposable biosensor for arsenic and probiotic drink that would alert patients to possible ailments by coloring their poop. A purple output, for example, may indicate the presence of a Salmonella infection.
E. chromi won MIT’s International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition in 2009, was a finalist for the 2011 Index Awards, and a winner of the 2011 World Technology Awards. Although it may sound unusual, this isn’t the only example of a bacterial biosensor. Scientists at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) recently attached a fluorescent protein to some E.coli and synchronized the colony to flash on and off like a neon sign. When the blinking colony detected low levels of arsenic, it slowed its rate of flashing.
Michigan E. coli Outbreak Investigation Continues
Health officials are continuing to investigate the Michigan E. coli outbreak linked to The Ambassador restaurant in the Upper Peninsula town of Houghton, a health department spokeswoman has confirmed.
At least seven people who dined at the restaurant in late December have confirmed cases of E. coli poisoning, four of them have been hospitalized, according to the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department.
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Health officials have determined that the likely source of the outbreak was a food-handler at the restaurant who was ill. They are urging anyone who became ill with bloody diarrhea in late December or early January to contact the health department.
The bacteria E.coli can cause serious sometimes fatal infections if ingested. Symptoms of an E.coli infection include severe abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Young children, the elderly, or those who are immunocompromised are most at risk. In roughly 8 percent of cases, patients develop Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) a condition that causes kidney failure and requires hospitalization for treatment which can include dialysis and transfusions.
If you have legal questions about an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak, contact the foodborne illness attorneys at PritzkerOlsen P.A. for free consultation. A toll free number is also available: 1(888) 377-8900.
E. coli O157:H7 Transmits Easily from Infected Restaurant Workers to Unsuspecting Customers
E. coli O157:H7 is an organism easily transmitted from person to person and the best prevention against foodborne illness is to wash hands before preparing food and avoid handling food when ill. The latest example of what can happen when an infected person goes to work at a restaurant is on display in Houghton, Michigan, where the Western Upper Penninsula Health Department continues to investigate an outbreak linked to The Ambassador Restaurant.
Dr. Terry Frankovich, the agency’s medical director, said the likely source of the Christmas-time outbreak was an ill food-handler. Five people initially were confirmed as case patients, including a customer from Wisconsin. Later, two more diners were identified as infected by the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Local authorities are asking any Ambassador customers who came down with bloody diarrhea after eating at the restaurant in late December or early January to come forward by reaching an attorney or calling the health department directly at 906-482-7382.
According to health department records reviewed by national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, The Ambassador did fairly well in six inspections conducted between January 20, 2010 and August 1, 2011. One of the inspections found food storage temperatures out of compliance, but the problem was rectified by the time inspectors did a follow-up, the records show.
An E. coli lawyer from Pritzker Olsen is continuing to investigate the outbreak and can provide any concerned family or individual a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information and the attorney will call you.
In some people, especially young children, the elderly, or those who are immunocompromised, a more severe illness, even death, can result from E. coli O157:H7. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
occurs in about 8 percent of infections. Persons with this illness have kidney failure and may require dialysis and transfusions. In The Ambassador E. coli outbreak, four people were hospitalized.
A good E. coli lawyer will seek recoveries that not only address medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other harms, but also will compensate a victims for harms that will continue into the future. Studies have shown that even people with uncomplicated E. coli illness can suffer vascular injuries and related problems that can last throughout a person’s life. Food poisoning lawsuits and negotiations seek to hold suppliers and service providers accountable for introducing dangerous pathogens into the food supply.
Long-Term Risks of E.coli Poisoning
Every year, more than a quarter of a million Americans are sickened by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). E. coli O157:H7 is the most common STEC strain and it is the strain at the heart of the outbreak linked to The Ambassador restaurant in Houghton, Michigan that has sickened seven people, four of whom required hospitalization.
In some cases, between 5 and 10 percent, those diagnosed with an STEC infection, develop a potentially life threatening complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and require hospitalization becasue of potential kidney failure. HUS usually effects children under 10, but it can also effect adolescents and adults. HUS usually runs its course within 15 days, but it can lead to serious long-term illness including:
Kidney Failure
HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children. Impaired urine production during HUS can lead to long-term health consequences including chronic kidney impairment.
Neurological Damage
During the acute stage of HUS, patients can experience seizures, stroke or coma. These can cause long-lasting or permanent neurological damage.
Diabetes
During the acute phase of HUS, patients can develop diabetes, which can persist over the long term.
Gastro-intestinal problems
HUS patients are at risk of developing gall stones, irritable bowel syndrome, or experiencing a narrowing of the small intestine or colon.
If you have questions about an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak, contact the attorneys at PritzkerOlsen P.A. for a free consultation.
E. coli Testing Could Expand Soon As Policy Advances
Within three months of the New Year, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is expected to begin testing beef trim for six additional types of shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria in a breakthrough for food safety.
Since 1994, E. coli O157:H7 has been the only type of the bug declared as an adulterant and therefore subject to testing. It will soon be illegal to sell ground beef and beef intended for grinding if it is contaminated with six other serogroups: O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145.
The pending change could be delayed depending on handling of comments from meat industry interests who are opposed to the expanded testing program. But it has the backing of President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group, which is chaired by the secretaries of agriculture and health and human services. Like other food safety reforms by the President, it is focused on prevention as a principle for building a modern food safety system.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that non-O157 STEC strains are connected with about 110,000 human illnesses annually, and food-borne O157 strains are connected with about 63,000 annually. The STEC strains recently declared as adulterants in ground beef also are found in other food, but they originate in the the guts of cattle and other animals.
Still, one of the most dangerous combination of food poisoning is STECs in undercooked ground beef, causing hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS sufferers lose kidney function and are at risk for stroke, heart attack, central nervous system invasion and severe anemia. Children under 5 years of age are in the age group most susceptible to HUS.
Organic Pastures Had Other Food Safety Issues Before Raw Milk E. coli Outbreak
Organic Pastures, California’s largest producer of raw milk, halted production last week after an E.coli outbreak that sickened five children was linked to the dairy’s raw milk. Owner Mark McAfee maintains his milk is healthful and risk-free, but this is not the first time the dairy has had trouble with food safety issues.
The Fresno County Department of Health has inspected Organic Pastures 10 times over the last 15 months. Four of those were routine inspections where “significant violations” were found that required mandatory re-inspection. Some of these violations were for unsanitary conditions, such as a broken toilet, lack of hot water for hand washing in the bathroom sink, manure on barn walls and exit ramps and under barn mats, all of which were cited in a report from August 24, 2010. Other reports site the lack of a concrete pad at a docking station and beneath a mobile barn.
- On September 12, 2008, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CFDA) issued a recall for raw cream manufactured at the dairy after tests showed it was contaminated with Campylobacter.
- On September 7, 2007, the CFDA issued a recall for raw cream manufactured at the dairy after Listeria monocytogenes bacteria turned up on a routine inspection.
- On September 21, 2006, the CFDA issued a recall after four children contracted E. coli infections after consuming raw milk products from the dairy.
Campylobacter, Listeria and E. coli are all dangerous pathogens that can cause serious sometimes fatal infections. With all foodborne illnesses, children are among those most a risk for serious complications, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which can lead to kidney failure.
A press release on the Organic Pastures website states:
“It is a common goal of Organic Pastures and the California Department of Public Health to rapidly investigate any linkage between these cases and raw milk. Each month CDFA tests all Organic Pastures’ products for pathogens, in addition Organic Pastures uses a third party for pathogen testing multiple times per week. All these tests have been negative. It has been reported to us by the California Department of Public Health that as of today all products collected from the ill patients have been negative for E. Coli 0157:H7.”
But a review of CFDA inspections does support the claim that the dairy is inspected each month. Four of the 10 inspections during the last 15 months were mandatory re-inspections. Had they not been required, the dairy would have had six inspections during a 15 month period.
In a USA Today story, McAfee says that the state of California has no evidence that shows children drank contaminated milk and that he finds the case “highly suspicious.” But, as Steve Lyle of the CFDA countered in the story, ”milk is perishable, so the product consumed by the children was not available for testing” by the time they got sick “and that’s typically to be expected.”
Anyone who experiences abdominal cramping or bloody diarrhea after consuming raw milk products should seek immediate medical attention. Those with questions regarding an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak should contact the national food safety law firm PritzkerOslen P.A. for a free consultation.
