Monday, July 11, 2011
Murdoch empire doomed?
Scandal keeps worsening
Murdoch watcher Michael Wolff seems to think the London media firestorm over the Murdoch press's tactics might well mean the media empire will go under at any moment.
http://www.channel4.com/news/
At this point, according to a conjecture reported by Britain's Guardian newspaper, Rupert Murdoch's main aim is to safeguard his son James, who heads News Corp.'s British fiefdom.
Repercussions have reached U.S. shores, with an investor group filing suit in Delaware for relief of autocratic management of the publicly traded part of the media conglomorate.
The wild methods of the Murdoch press stem from management problems at upper levels, the suit says.
http://online.wsj.com/article/
The latest shockers include reports that the Murdoch press targeted the cell phones of 9/11 victims and their relatives, poked through private financial records of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and even had Queen Elizabeth II on its list of cell phone hack targets. It was the hacking of Prince William's phone that alerted the prince's aides as to the source of the information and led to the mounting disclosures, which went viral once a former Murdoch man was secretly taped bragging about such practices.
If News International, or James Murdoch, are found to have condoned a practice of police bribes and payoffs, the U.S. Justice Dept. can impose fines on the parent News Corp., which is incorporated in the United States, and possibly seize assets. Politically, this may prove a boon to the Obama administration, which can hold out such a possibility if the Murdoch press in America is too hard on the president or too accommodating to the Republican Party.
Links to stories on the Murdoch hurricane at the Guardian:
Scandal keeps worsening
Murdoch watcher Michael Wolff seems to think the London media firestorm over the Murdoch press's tactics might well mean the media empire will go under at any moment.
http://www.channel4.com/news/
At this point, according to a conjecture reported by Britain's Guardian newspaper, Rupert Murdoch's main aim is to safeguard his son James, who heads News Corp.'s British fiefdom.
Repercussions have reached U.S. shores, with an investor group filing suit in Delaware for relief of autocratic management of the publicly traded part of the media conglomorate.
The wild methods of the Murdoch press stem from management problems at upper levels, the suit says.
http://online.wsj.com/article/
The latest shockers include reports that the Murdoch press targeted the cell phones of 9/11 victims and their relatives, poked through private financial records of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and even had Queen Elizabeth II on its list of cell phone hack targets. It was the hacking of Prince William's phone that alerted the prince's aides as to the source of the information and led to the mounting disclosures, which went viral once a former Murdoch man was secretly taped bragging about such practices.
If News International, or James Murdoch, are found to have condoned a practice of police bribes and payoffs, the U.S. Justice Dept. can impose fines on the parent News Corp., which is incorporated in the United States, and possibly seize assets. Politically, this may prove a boon to the Obama administration, which can hold out such a possibility if the Murdoch press in America is too hard on the president or too accommodating to the Republican Party.
Links to stories on the Murdoch hurricane at the Guardian:
- Evidence of illegal data checks on Brown buried by 2005 ruling
- Audio: Listen to how the Sunday Times blagged Brown's property details
- Police chiefs to tell MPs that it was a cock-up not a conspiracy
- News Corp in crisis, but Murdoch determined to protect son
- News International undermining inquiry, say police
- Dowler family call for Rebekah Brooks to resign
- Police guards 'sold royal contacts to News of the World'
- News of the World executives – who knew what and when?
- Full coverage of the phone-hacking scandal
Saturday, July 9, 2011
'The phones on the news desk have been ringing all week with people shouting the nastiest, most vile abuse'
GHOUL
MEDIA
OUTFIT
SENT
TO HELL
# Murdoch rushes to London as hacking scandal balloons
# Heir a potential target of U.S. corruption charges
# Massive destruction of evidence investigated
# Prime minister pledges a judicial inquiry
# Politicians under fire as too cozy with press crooks
# Advertisers pull away in horror
TOP MURDOCH AIDE HINTS AT WORSE TO COME
What could be worse than hacking of cell phones
of slain girl, kin of terrorist victims and war dead?
Scandal rocks global media empire
U.S. repercussions likely for Fox News
and other Murdoch holdings as
son is exposed to U.S. graft charges,
PARENT FIRM FACES POTENTIAL ASSETS SEIZURE
Big TV deal dealt major setback
NEWS OF THE WORLD'S FINAL EDITION
News Int'l: Rupert Murdoch, son James
are braced to give evidence 'under oath'
GHOUL
MEDIA
OUTFIT
SENT
TO HELL
# Murdoch rushes to London as hacking scandal balloons
# Heir a potential target of U.S. corruption charges
# Massive destruction of evidence investigated
# Prime minister pledges a judicial inquiry
# Politicians under fire as too cozy with press crooks
# Advertisers pull away in horror
TOP MURDOCH AIDE HINTS AT WORSE TO COME
What could be worse than hacking of cell phones
of slain girl, kin of terrorist victims and war dead?
Scandal rocks global media empire
U.S. repercussions likely for Fox News
and other Murdoch holdings as
son is exposed to U.S. graft charges,
PARENT FIRM FACES POTENTIAL ASSETS SEIZURE
Big TV deal dealt major setback
NEWS OF THE WORLD'S FINAL EDITION
News Int'l: Rupert Murdoch, son James
are braced to give evidence 'under oath'
Friday, July 8, 2011
Arizona warned health workers
of possible E. coli terror strike
Arizona authorities were sufficiently concerned about the potential for E. coli terrorism to issue a warning to health workers, according to a public document found on the internet.
The possibility that food supplies might be deliberately contaminated with a vicious form of E. coli known as the O157:H7 serotype was raised in a circular to health professionals updated in August 2004. That strain, though not as lethal as the O104:H4 strain that broke out in Germany and France in May, can bring about severe health effects, including kidney failure.
http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/edc/edrp/pdf/escherichiacoliset.pdf
(That link was taken down after this story appeared.)
"In a terrorist attack, E. coli would most likely occur due to intentional contamination of food or water supplies," according to Arizona's Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, adding: "In addition aerosolization could be a possibility."
Authorities and media have cooperated to say nothing about the probabilities of terrorism or of escape from a laboratory, in the recent O104:H4 outbreak that has killed 50 and sickened 4,000, many suffering permanent kidney damage or failure. They have also cooperated to shield the food distributors involved in selling suspect fenugreek seed from being publicly named.
The strain is, like the O157:H7 strain, quite rare. But the O104:H4 serotype has evolved to acquire immunity to a wide range of antibiotics and has acquired the DNA of the plague pathogen, according to experts.
The possibility that the O104:H4 pathogen is a genetically engineered strain that may have escaped from a laboratory is passed over in silence. However, potential escapes are a serious concern for scientists.
One theory of the 1977 Russian influenza pandemic is that the virus escaped from a research center, according to S.J. Flint and her colleagues in Principles of Virology published by the American Society for Microbiology in 2000.
The devastating Ebola virus came perilously close to escaping a research facility in Washington, D.C., it has been reported. Deaths of researchers infected by Marburg virus are also on record.
Below is a "quick view" copy of the Arizona circular:
Escherichia Coli O157:H7
Bioterrorism Agent Profiles for Health Care Workers
Causative Agent: Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium
that produces Shiga toxin(s). This rare variety of E.coli produces large quantities of potent toxins
that cause severe damage to the lining of the intestines, leading to hemorrhagic colitis.
Routes of Exposure: Ingestion of contaminated food or water is the main route of exposure, but
direct person-to-person contact can also spread infection.
Infective Dose & Infectivity: May be as few as 10 organisms. All people are believed to be
susceptible to hemorrhagic colitis, but young children and the elderly appear to progress to more
serious symptoms more frequently.
Incubation Period: The incubation can be from 2 to 8 days, but it usually ranges from 3 to 4 days.
Clinical Effects: The illness is characterized by severe cramping (abdominal pain) and diarrhea
which is initially watery, but becomes grossly bloody. Occasionally vomiting occurs. Fever is
either low-grade or absent. The illness is usually self-limited and lasts for an average of 8 days.
Some individuals exhibit watery diarrhea only.
A severe clinical manifestation of E. coli O157:H7 infection is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Up to 15% of those with bloody diarrhea from E. coli 0157:H7 can develop HUS, which can lead to
permanent kidney failure.
Lethality: The overall mortality rate for E. coli O157:H7 is <1%. For those who develop HUS, the
death rate is between 3-5%.
Transmissibility: The major source of transmission is the consumption of raw or undercooked
ground beef. Other sources of transmission include unpasteurized milk and juice, alfalfa sprouts,
lettuce, dry-cured salami, and contact with infected animals. Waterborne transmission can occur
by swimming in or drinking inadequately chlorinated water such as that found in contaminated
lakes and swimming pools. The organism is easily transmitted from person-to-person when proper
hand washing techniques are not used.
Primary Contamination & Methods of Dissemination: In a terrorist attack, E. coli would most
likely occur due to intentional contamination of food or water supplies. In addition aerosolization
could be a possibility.
Secondary Contamination & Persistence of organism: Secondary transmission can result from
exposure to the stool of patients with overt disease. Diarrheal fluids are highly infectious. The
period of infectivity of stool is typically a week or less in adults but 3 weeks in one-third of children.
Prolonged carriage of E. coli O157:H7 in the stool is uncommon.
Decontamination & Isolation:
Patients – No decontamination necessary. Patients can be treated with standard
precautions, with contact precautions for diapered or incontinent patients. Hand washing is of
particular importance.
Equipment & other objects – 0.5% hypochlorite solution (one part household bleach and
nine parts water), EPA approved disinfectants, and/or soap and water can be used for
environmental decontamination.
Laboratory Testing: Clinical laboratories can screen for E. coli O157:H7 in stool samples by
using sorbitol-MacConkey agar.
Therapeutic Treatment: Most people recover without specific treatment in five to ten days. For
uncomplicated cases, rehydration may be all that is required. Fluid and electrolyte replacement is
important when diarrhea is watery or there are signs of dehydration. Antibiotics are often avoided
in E. coli O157:H7 infections, since some evidence suggests that antibiotic treatment may
precipitate complications such as HUS.
Prophylactic Treatment: No vaccine is available to prevent E. coli O157:H7 infections.
Differential Diagnosis: Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitis, and bacterial
food poisoning may show similar signs and symptoms.
References:
Chin J. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, Seventeenth Edition, American Public Health
Association; 2000.
Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook, Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html
For more information call (602) 364-3289
Updated August 2004 Page 5.20
Arizona Department of Health Services
Division of Public Health Services
Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
ESCHERICHIA
Updated August 2004 Page 5.19
Arizona Department of Health Services
Division of Public Health Services
Office of
Correction: A previous version of this story contained an error mischaracterizing the plague pathogen as a virus.
***********************************
of possible E. coli terror strike
Arizona authorities were sufficiently concerned about the potential for E. coli terrorism to issue a warning to health workers, according to a public document found on the internet.
The possibility that food supplies might be deliberately contaminated with a vicious form of E. coli known as the O157:H7 serotype was raised in a circular to health professionals updated in August 2004. That strain, though not as lethal as the O104:H4 strain that broke out in Germany and France in May, can bring about severe health effects, including kidney failure.
http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/edc/edrp/pdf/escherichiacoliset.pdf
(That link was taken down after this story appeared.)
"In a terrorist attack, E. coli would most likely occur due to intentional contamination of food or water supplies," according to Arizona's Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, adding: "In addition aerosolization could be a possibility."
Authorities and media have cooperated to say nothing about the probabilities of terrorism or of escape from a laboratory, in the recent O104:H4 outbreak that has killed 50 and sickened 4,000, many suffering permanent kidney damage or failure. They have also cooperated to shield the food distributors involved in selling suspect fenugreek seed from being publicly named.
The strain is, like the O157:H7 strain, quite rare. But the O104:H4 serotype has evolved to acquire immunity to a wide range of antibiotics and has acquired the DNA of the plague pathogen, according to experts.
The possibility that the O104:H4 pathogen is a genetically engineered strain that may have escaped from a laboratory is passed over in silence. However, potential escapes are a serious concern for scientists.
One theory of the 1977 Russian influenza pandemic is that the virus escaped from a research center, according to S.J. Flint and her colleagues in Principles of Virology published by the American Society for Microbiology in 2000.
The devastating Ebola virus came perilously close to escaping a research facility in Washington, D.C., it has been reported. Deaths of researchers infected by Marburg virus are also on record.
Below is a "quick view" copy of the Arizona circular:
Escherichia Coli O157:H7
Bioterrorism Agent Profiles for Health Care Workers
Causative Agent: Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium
that produces Shiga toxin(s). This rare variety of E.coli produces large quantities of potent toxins
that cause severe damage to the lining of the intestines, leading to hemorrhagic colitis.
Routes of Exposure: Ingestion of contaminated food or water is the main route of exposure, but
direct person-to-person contact can also spread infection.
Infective Dose & Infectivity: May be as few as 10 organisms. All people are believed to be
susceptible to hemorrhagic colitis, but young children and the elderly appear to progress to more
serious symptoms more frequently.
Incubation Period: The incubation can be from 2 to 8 days, but it usually ranges from 3 to 4 days.
Clinical Effects: The illness is characterized by severe cramping (abdominal pain) and diarrhea
which is initially watery, but becomes grossly bloody. Occasionally vomiting occurs. Fever is
either low-grade or absent. The illness is usually self-limited and lasts for an average of 8 days.
Some individuals exhibit watery diarrhea only.
A severe clinical manifestation of E. coli O157:H7 infection is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Up to 15% of those with bloody diarrhea from E. coli 0157:H7 can develop HUS, which can lead to
permanent kidney failure.
Lethality: The overall mortality rate for E. coli O157:H7 is <1%. For those who develop HUS, the
death rate is between 3-5%.
Transmissibility: The major source of transmission is the consumption of raw or undercooked
ground beef. Other sources of transmission include unpasteurized milk and juice, alfalfa sprouts,
lettuce, dry-cured salami, and contact with infected animals. Waterborne transmission can occur
by swimming in or drinking inadequately chlorinated water such as that found in contaminated
lakes and swimming pools. The organism is easily transmitted from person-to-person when proper
hand washing techniques are not used.
Primary Contamination & Methods of Dissemination: In a terrorist attack, E. coli would most
likely occur due to intentional contamination of food or water supplies. In addition aerosolization
could be a possibility.
Secondary Contamination & Persistence of organism: Secondary transmission can result from
exposure to the stool of patients with overt disease. Diarrheal fluids are highly infectious. The
period of infectivity of stool is typically a week or less in adults but 3 weeks in one-third of children.
Prolonged carriage of E. coli O157:H7 in the stool is uncommon.
Decontamination & Isolation:
Patients – No decontamination necessary. Patients can be treated with standard
precautions, with contact precautions for diapered or incontinent patients. Hand washing is of
particular importance.
Equipment & other objects – 0.5% hypochlorite solution (one part household bleach and
nine parts water), EPA approved disinfectants, and/or soap and water can be used for
environmental decontamination.
Laboratory Testing: Clinical laboratories can screen for E. coli O157:H7 in stool samples by
using sorbitol-MacConkey agar.
Therapeutic Treatment: Most people recover without specific treatment in five to ten days. For
uncomplicated cases, rehydration may be all that is required. Fluid and electrolyte replacement is
important when diarrhea is watery or there are signs of dehydration. Antibiotics are often avoided
in E. coli O157:H7 infections, since some evidence suggests that antibiotic treatment may
precipitate complications such as HUS.
Prophylactic Treatment: No vaccine is available to prevent E. coli O157:H7 infections.
Differential Diagnosis: Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitis, and bacterial
food poisoning may show similar signs and symptoms.
References:
Chin J. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, Seventeenth Edition, American Public Health
Association; 2000.
Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook, Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html
For more information call (602) 364-3289
Updated August 2004 Page 5.20
Arizona Department of Health Services
Division of Public Health Services
Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
ESCHERICHIA
Updated August 2004 Page 5.19
Arizona Department of Health Services
Division of Public Health Services
Office of
Correction: A previous version of this story contained an error mischaracterizing the plague pathogen as a virus.
***********************************
Murdoch's News Int. is probed
on vast destruction of evidence
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/08/phone-hacking-emails-news-internationalThursday, July 7, 2011
Authorities resist discussion
of possible E. coli terrorism
In the wake of vicious E. coli outbreaks in Europe, authorities are silent on the possibility that the strange pathogen was either disseminated by bioterrorists or somehow escaped from a research laboratory,
Both in Europe and America, reporters are publishing nothing on the possibilities, not even assurances from security authorities or experts that such scenarios were highly unlikely. One would expect that if either scenario was improbable, security agencies would have been glad to say so.
Britain's Telegraph newspaper published one story last month which said that the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, a security agency, was concerned about the possibility of food-poisoning terrorism, but after the story appeared, a search of that agency's web site for the relevant statement or anything pertinent proved futile.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8557373/Food-chain-at-risk-of-being-poisoned-by-terrorist-groupsAGA SAAT GMBH .html
Web searches show no other media even asking questions about such a scenario, indicating a government-media agreement to avoid the topic, along with the topic of a potential accidental release.
The Center for Infectious Disease Research And Policy (CIDRAP) has complained that health authorities had done a disservice to the public by refusing to name a German seed firm apparently involved in the contamination. Newz from Limbo has published the firm's identity: AGA SAAT GMBH. However, virtually all internet news stories have omitted the firm's name.
No response was received from experts, including those at CIDRAP, who were asked by Newz from Limbo in emails about the possibility the pathogen escaped from a laboratory or was deliberately engineered and disseminated.
Laboratory escapes are a source of concern among pathologists. For example, the H1N1 viral strain known as Russian influenza was theorized to have escaped from a laboratory, according to Principles of Virology by S.J. Flint et al (American Society for Microbiology 2000).
Dr. Helge Karch, a German E. coli expert, had called the pathogen unusual because it was a "chimera" that included plague DNA. The plague pathogen resides in rat fleas and rats are known to invade seed graineries. However, the peculiar E. coli pathogen had also developed resistance to a wide range of antibiotics.
No response from Karch was received to an email query sent him.
Here is the email to Karch:
Hello Dr. Karch,
I'm wondering what the likelihood might be that the o104:h4 strain is a genetically engineered pathogen that either escaped from a research center or was deployed as a terrorist weapon. Or is it more probable that one or more viruses brought about the genetic recombination naturally?
What mechanism would be likely to introduce plague DNA into the E. coli -- a virus that hopped from a rat flea to another mammal? Has o104:h4 ever been detected in rats?
I am also trying to be sure of where and under what circumstances the precursor strain that you identified originated.
Best regards,
Paul Conant
Newz from Limbo
A similar inquiry was sent to CIDRAP.
It should be noted that on occasion the Google email accounts of Paul Conant, editor of Newz from Limbo, are hacked and various materials deleted. Care has been taken to be sure that passwords are strong.
A satirical article about E. coli "terrorism" appeared on Alternet and was republished by Le Monde.
http://www.alternet.org/food/
But no serious questions seem to have been asked.
E. coli veggie screening under fire
http://www.wired.com/
Dad outraged at report of hack of phone
after son was killed in terror bombings
Fox News owner shuts outlet
in cell phone hacking scandal
Ad boycotts embroil press magnate Murdoch
Hackings said to include:
# Deleting messages on slain girl's phone
# Spying on grieving kin of slain soldiers
The media titan Rupert Murdoch sought to stanch damage from a deepening phone hacking scandal on Thursday by sacrificing the mass-circulation British weekly The News of the World, in a bid to protect his News Corporation empire, the New York Times reports.
The cell-hack saga turned yet more disturbing yesterday with suggestions that the paper had broken into the voicemail not only of a 13-year-old murder victim but also of relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the paper had paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to police officers for information.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/world/europe/07britain.html?scp=1&sq=hacking%20cell&st=cse
of possible E. coli terrorism
In the wake of vicious E. coli outbreaks in Europe, authorities are silent on the possibility that the strange pathogen was either disseminated by bioterrorists or somehow escaped from a research laboratory,
Both in Europe and America, reporters are publishing nothing on the possibilities, not even assurances from security authorities or experts that such scenarios were highly unlikely. One would expect that if either scenario was improbable, security agencies would have been glad to say so.
Britain's Telegraph newspaper published one story last month which said that the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, a security agency, was concerned about the possibility of food-poisoning terrorism, but after the story appeared, a search of that agency's web site for the relevant statement or anything pertinent proved futile.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8557373/Food-chain-at-risk-of-being-poisoned-by-terrorist-groupsAGA SAAT GMBH .html
Web searches show no other media even asking questions about such a scenario, indicating a government-media agreement to avoid the topic, along with the topic of a potential accidental release.
The Center for Infectious Disease Research And Policy (CIDRAP) has complained that health authorities had done a disservice to the public by refusing to name a German seed firm apparently involved in the contamination. Newz from Limbo has published the firm's identity: AGA SAAT GMBH. However, virtually all internet news stories have omitted the firm's name.
No response was received from experts, including those at CIDRAP, who were asked by Newz from Limbo in emails about the possibility the pathogen escaped from a laboratory or was deliberately engineered and disseminated.
Laboratory escapes are a source of concern among pathologists. For example, the H1N1 viral strain known as Russian influenza was theorized to have escaped from a laboratory, according to Principles of Virology by S.J. Flint et al (American Society for Microbiology 2000).
Dr. Helge Karch, a German E. coli expert, had called the pathogen unusual because it was a "chimera" that included plague DNA. The plague pathogen resides in rat fleas and rats are known to invade seed graineries. However, the peculiar E. coli pathogen had also developed resistance to a wide range of antibiotics.
No response from Karch was received to an email query sent him.
Here is the email to Karch:
Hello Dr. Karch,
I'm wondering what the likelihood might be that the o104:h4 strain is a genetically engineered pathogen that either escaped from a research center or was deployed as a terrorist weapon. Or is it more probable that one or more viruses brought about the genetic recombination naturally?
What mechanism would be likely to introduce plague DNA into the E. coli -- a virus that hopped from a rat flea to another mammal? Has o104:h4 ever been detected in rats?
I am also trying to be sure of where and under what circumstances the precursor strain that you identified originated.
Best regards,
Paul Conant
Newz from Limbo
A similar inquiry was sent to CIDRAP.
It should be noted that on occasion the Google email accounts of Paul Conant, editor of Newz from Limbo, are hacked and various materials deleted. Care has been taken to be sure that passwords are strong.
A satirical article about E. coli "terrorism" appeared on Alternet and was republished by Le Monde.
http://www.alternet.org/food/
But no serious questions seem to have been asked.
E. coli veggie screening under fire
http://www.wired.com/
Dad outraged at report of hack of phone
after son was killed in terror bombings
Fox News owner shuts outlet
in cell phone hacking scandal
Ad boycotts embroil press magnate Murdoch
Hackings said to include:
# Deleting messages on slain girl's phone
# Spying on grieving kin of slain soldiers
The media titan Rupert Murdoch sought to stanch damage from a deepening phone hacking scandal on Thursday by sacrificing the mass-circulation British weekly The News of the World, in a bid to protect his News Corporation empire, the New York Times reports.
The cell-hack saga turned yet more disturbing yesterday with suggestions that the paper had broken into the voicemail not only of a 13-year-old murder victim but also of relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the paper had paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to police officers for information.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/world/europe/07britain.html?scp=1&sq=hacking%20cell&st=cse
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Chilling E. coli scenarios arise
as probers close in on source
The tracking of deadly E. coli pathogens carrying plague DNA to a single lot of spice seeds poses disturbing scenarios for investigators.
Because the E. coli strain, O104:H4, is believed to have originated in human intestines before mutating to an extremely antibiotic-resistant form, the contamination of the lot almost certainly stemmed from at least one human handler.
This handler is very likely to have either been someone in Germany at the import firm AGA SAAT GMBH or in Egypt or on a cargo line in order to have affected people some 750 miles apart.
Scenario 1:
The handler, who might have been resistant to the strain, inadvertently contaminated the fenugreek seeds, which in raw form are used as spices in curries and other dishes. In that case, there would be reason to believe that the strain was a hospital-bred strain that had not previously been identified.
Yet, European health authorities monitor hospitals for such strains, and no such strain has been reported as a hospital-borne problem. This would then lead to suspicion of Egyptian hospitals, which a decade ago were reported to be hotbeds for the breeding of super-bugs resistant to antibiotics. (Hospitals worldwide are contending with this problem.) But, Egyptian authorities said that the O104:H4 strain was unknown in Egypt. Its precursor is known, however, in Germany.
In 2008, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control published research saying that a study of Spanish hospital patients had shown that treatment with the antibiotic ampicillin appeared to be affecting human intestinal E. coli. This report may have triggered the initial suspicion that Spanish cucumbers were the infection carrier.
Scenario 2:
The handler was a terrorist, either acting alone or in concert with others, who sprinkled the bacteria onto the lot either when in Egypt or in Germany, or possibly during transit by ship and rail.
If the seeds were deliberately contaminated, investigators would then face the issue of how the strain was developed. There are methods of breeding antibiotic resistant strains. Researchers may try to provoke such resistance in order to study bacterial biology.
Dr. Helge Karch, a German E. coli expert, reported that “the O104:H4 bacteria responsible for the current outbreak are a so-called 'chimera' that contains genetic material" from various E. coli bacteria. The bug "also contains DNA sequences from plague bacteria which makes it particularly pathogenic.” He also has said he believed the strain to have originated in humans, rather than livestock.
The fact that the strain picked up resistance to such a wide spectrum of antibiotics in a relatively short span of perhaps less than a decade is a matter of concern.
No terrorist group is reliably reported to have claimed credit for the outbreak. However, a loner with sufficient biological training could well have pulled off such a deed. Al Qaeda and its allies have been urging individuals to exact revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Last year U.S. officials sought to play down a report that al Qaeda had been considering poisoning U.S. salad bars with ricin, a feared chemical warfare weapon.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-21/us/al.qaeda.poison.plot_1_threat-stream-food-supply-al-qaeda-group?_s=PM:US
At any rate, in either scenario, the world is facing a new era of troubles. The "global village" effect means that emergent diseases and biological warfare can have wide-ranging impact, as seen by the fact that the contaminated seeds were eaten by Europeans 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) apart.
A strain of E. coli isolated in South Korea showed similarity to the German and French serotype. However, researchers say the Korean serotype -- biological indicators of resistance to antibiotics and other bacteriacides -- is markedly different from that of the European killer strain, according to a paper published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The culprit pathogen seems to be an evolved and extremely toxic version of a microorganism first identified in Münster, Germany, in 2001, according to genetic analyses done by two separate teams of scientists, the Wall Street Journal has reported. This would tend to indicate that the source of contamination was a food handler at the German organic food firm AGA SAAT GMBH.
"Everything we know so far indicates it is an evolved strain," the Journal quoted Alexander Mellmann of the University Hospital of Münster, as saying. Mellmann was involved in the genetic analysis. "If it was completely unknown, we'd struggle a lot more in our effort to fight it."
In addition to Mellmann's group, a separate team from BGI, formerly known as the Beijing Genomics Institute, and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf compared the genetic material of the 2001 and 2011 strains. They found that seven genes crucial to both bugs' survival are identical, as are 12 virulence/fitness genes shared by both, the Journal said.
The 2001 strain caused fewer than five identified cases world-wide, and scientists never did identify its natural reservoir—where a new strain of the E. coli bug can originate, such as in cattle. But the genetic analysis showed that as the 2001 bug likely swapped genetic material with other bacterial strains, some big changes occurred, the Journal said.
The 2011 version turns out to be resistant to eight classes of antibiotics, including penicillin, streptomycin and sulfonamide. The likely reason is that rapid evolution "resulted in the gain of more genes during the last 10 years" that conferred immunity against many more antibiotics, according to BGI, according to the Journal.
The introduction of plague genes into the strain would have occurred via recombination of genes, which occurs naturally, but which is also accomplished by the techniques of genetic engineering.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports that the European toll in the outbreak of E. coli O104:H4 in Germany and France linked to the fenugreek seeds had risen to 4,173 illnesses and 49 deaths.
Those numbers include 892 hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases.
A single lot of seeds -- lot number 48088 -- from an Egyptian exporter appears to be the link between the German and French outbreaks, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports, even though microbiological tests carried out on the seeds have thus far been negative.
Food Safety News reports that EFSA cautions that those test results "cannot be interpreted as proof that a batch is not contaminated" with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Given that other lots may be implicated, and because exposure to a small quantity of the seeds can have a "severe health impact," the food-safety authority is recommending that all lots of fenugreek from the identified -- but unnamed -- exporter should be considered suspect, the news service said.
Fenugreek seeds from the suspect Egyptian lot - about 15,000 kilograms - were imported to one large German distributor, according to an AP report. Those seeds were then sold to 70 different companies, 54 of them in Germany, the center of the outbreak, and to 16 companies in 11 other European countries.
Meanwhile, the British company Thompson & Morgan said it is awaiting the results of lab tests on three kinds of its sprouting seeds - organic fenugreek, white mustard and rocket (arugula). It confirmed that its supplier had obtained organic fenugreek sprouting seed from Egypt, and that Thompson & Morgan in turn supplied seeds to a French garden center. That garden center was the source of the seeds used to grow sprouts served at a school event in the town of Bègles, where many of those sickened reported eating various cold soups garnished with sprouts.
However, as with the Egyptian exporter, Thompson & Morgan's supplier was not named. The German importer AGA SAAT GMBH has succeeded in having European authorities omit its name as the transhipment source of the infected seeds.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jul0111deletion.html
The French garden center was the source of the seeds used to grow sprouts served at a school event in the town of Bègles, where many of those sickened reported eating various cold soups garnished with sprouts.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8557373/Food-chain-at-risk-of-being-poisoned-by-terrorist-groups.html
Two new Wikileaks emulators operating
http://www.zdnet.com.au/anonymous-launches-wikileaks-style-sites-339317882.htm
as probers close in on source
The tracking of deadly E. coli pathogens carrying plague DNA to a single lot of spice seeds poses disturbing scenarios for investigators.
Because the E. coli strain, O104:H4, is believed to have originated in human intestines before mutating to an extremely antibiotic-resistant form, the contamination of the lot almost certainly stemmed from at least one human handler.
This handler is very likely to have either been someone in Germany at the import firm AGA SAAT GMBH or in Egypt or on a cargo line in order to have affected people some 750 miles apart.
Scenario 1:
The handler, who might have been resistant to the strain, inadvertently contaminated the fenugreek seeds, which in raw form are used as spices in curries and other dishes. In that case, there would be reason to believe that the strain was a hospital-bred strain that had not previously been identified.
Yet, European health authorities monitor hospitals for such strains, and no such strain has been reported as a hospital-borne problem. This would then lead to suspicion of Egyptian hospitals, which a decade ago were reported to be hotbeds for the breeding of super-bugs resistant to antibiotics. (Hospitals worldwide are contending with this problem.) But, Egyptian authorities said that the O104:H4 strain was unknown in Egypt. Its precursor is known, however, in Germany.
In 2008, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control published research saying that a study of Spanish hospital patients had shown that treatment with the antibiotic ampicillin appeared to be affecting human intestinal E. coli. This report may have triggered the initial suspicion that Spanish cucumbers were the infection carrier.
Scenario 2:
The handler was a terrorist, either acting alone or in concert with others, who sprinkled the bacteria onto the lot either when in Egypt or in Germany, or possibly during transit by ship and rail.
If the seeds were deliberately contaminated, investigators would then face the issue of how the strain was developed. There are methods of breeding antibiotic resistant strains. Researchers may try to provoke such resistance in order to study bacterial biology.
Dr. Helge Karch, a German E. coli expert, reported that “the O104:H4 bacteria responsible for the current outbreak are a so-called 'chimera' that contains genetic material" from various E. coli bacteria. The bug "also contains DNA sequences from plague bacteria which makes it particularly pathogenic.” He also has said he believed the strain to have originated in humans, rather than livestock.
The fact that the strain picked up resistance to such a wide spectrum of antibiotics in a relatively short span of perhaps less than a decade is a matter of concern.
No terrorist group is reliably reported to have claimed credit for the outbreak. However, a loner with sufficient biological training could well have pulled off such a deed. Al Qaeda and its allies have been urging individuals to exact revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Last year U.S. officials sought to play down a report that al Qaeda had been considering poisoning U.S. salad bars with ricin, a feared chemical warfare weapon.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-21/us/al.qaeda.poison.plot_1_threat-stream-food-supply-al-qaeda-group?_s=PM:US
At any rate, in either scenario, the world is facing a new era of troubles. The "global village" effect means that emergent diseases and biological warfare can have wide-ranging impact, as seen by the fact that the contaminated seeds were eaten by Europeans 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) apart.
A strain of E. coli isolated in South Korea showed similarity to the German and French serotype. However, researchers say the Korean serotype -- biological indicators of resistance to antibiotics and other bacteriacides -- is markedly different from that of the European killer strain, according to a paper published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The culprit pathogen seems to be an evolved and extremely toxic version of a microorganism first identified in Münster, Germany, in 2001, according to genetic analyses done by two separate teams of scientists, the Wall Street Journal has reported. This would tend to indicate that the source of contamination was a food handler at the German organic food firm AGA SAAT GMBH.
"Everything we know so far indicates it is an evolved strain," the Journal quoted Alexander Mellmann of the University Hospital of Münster, as saying. Mellmann was involved in the genetic analysis. "If it was completely unknown, we'd struggle a lot more in our effort to fight it."
In addition to Mellmann's group, a separate team from BGI, formerly known as the Beijing Genomics Institute, and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf compared the genetic material of the 2001 and 2011 strains. They found that seven genes crucial to both bugs' survival are identical, as are 12 virulence/fitness genes shared by both, the Journal said.
The 2001 strain caused fewer than five identified cases world-wide, and scientists never did identify its natural reservoir—where a new strain of the E. coli bug can originate, such as in cattle. But the genetic analysis showed that as the 2001 bug likely swapped genetic material with other bacterial strains, some big changes occurred, the Journal said.
The 2011 version turns out to be resistant to eight classes of antibiotics, including penicillin, streptomycin and sulfonamide. The likely reason is that rapid evolution "resulted in the gain of more genes during the last 10 years" that conferred immunity against many more antibiotics, according to BGI, according to the Journal.
The introduction of plague genes into the strain would have occurred via recombination of genes, which occurs naturally, but which is also accomplished by the techniques of genetic engineering.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports that the European toll in the outbreak of E. coli O104:H4 in Germany and France linked to the fenugreek seeds had risen to 4,173 illnesses and 49 deaths.
Those numbers include 892 hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases.
A single lot of seeds -- lot number 48088 -- from an Egyptian exporter appears to be the link between the German and French outbreaks, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reports, even though microbiological tests carried out on the seeds have thus far been negative.
Food Safety News reports that EFSA cautions that those test results "cannot be interpreted as proof that a batch is not contaminated" with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Given that other lots may be implicated, and because exposure to a small quantity of the seeds can have a "severe health impact," the food-safety authority is recommending that all lots of fenugreek from the identified -- but unnamed -- exporter should be considered suspect, the news service said.
Fenugreek seeds from the suspect Egyptian lot - about 15,000 kilograms - were imported to one large German distributor, according to an AP report. Those seeds were then sold to 70 different companies, 54 of them in Germany, the center of the outbreak, and to 16 companies in 11 other European countries.
Meanwhile, the British company Thompson & Morgan said it is awaiting the results of lab tests on three kinds of its sprouting seeds - organic fenugreek, white mustard and rocket (arugula). It confirmed that its supplier had obtained organic fenugreek sprouting seed from Egypt, and that Thompson & Morgan in turn supplied seeds to a French garden center. That garden center was the source of the seeds used to grow sprouts served at a school event in the town of Bègles, where many of those sickened reported eating various cold soups garnished with sprouts.
However, as with the Egyptian exporter, Thompson & Morgan's supplier was not named. The German importer AGA SAAT GMBH has succeeded in having European authorities omit its name as the transhipment source of the infected seeds.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jul0111deletion.html
The French garden center was the source of the seeds used to grow sprouts served at a school event in the town of Bègles, where many of those sickened reported eating various cold soups garnished with sprouts.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8557373/Food-chain-at-risk-of-being-poisoned-by-terrorist-groups.html
Two new Wikileaks emulators operating
http://www.zdnet.com.au/anonymous-launches-wikileaks-style-sites-339317882.htm
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Are Egypt hospitals linked
to deadly E. coli outbreaks?
As Egypt officially denied that exports of contaminated fenugreek seeds were behind ferocious E. coli outbreaks in Europe, a decade-old report surfaced warning that Cairo hospitals appeared to be hotbeds of antibiotic resistant super-bugs.
Researchers were sufficiently alarmed to call for "a nationwide surveillance programme to monitor microbial trends and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Egypt."
Writing in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Amani El Kholy and others said:
"The percentage of bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli susceptible to common antimicrobial agents was as follows: ampicillin (6%), ampicillin–sulbactam (38%), co-trimoxazole (38%) and aminoglycosides (52%). The susceptibility of isolates of E. coli, Klebsiella and Enterobacter spp. to ceftazidime was 62%, 40% and 46%, respectively. This suggests a potentially high rate of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and/or Amp-C enzyme production. These results call for a nationwide surveillance programme to monitor microbial trends and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Egypt."
The report, "Antimicrobial resistance in Cairo, Egypt 1999–2000: a survey of five hospitals," was written by El Kholy, Hadia Baseem, Geraldine S. Hall, Gary W. Procop and David L. Longworth.
Concerning the probability of contamination, Egyptian Agriculture Minister Ayman Abu Hadeed said, "These claims are sheer lies, which have no scientific basis," adding: "The strain of E. coli in Europe is not found in Egypt. Secondly, all Egyptian farm produce and exports undergo complicated measures to be approved as fit for human consumption in line with international standards."
The El Kholy report abstract does not mention the O104:H4 strain.
Though investigators have found no contaminated seeds, experts say that random sampling may easily bypass a contaminated lot.
Fenugreek, according to a Wikipedia entry, is used both as a herb (the leaves) and as a spice (the seed, often called methi). The plant is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop and is a common ingredient in many curries.
How the rare strain of E. coli, O104:H4, which breeds only in human intestines, acquired genetic resistance to a wide range of antibiotics is not known, though one expert suggested that a hospital or hospitals were the breeding ground.
Nor is it clear how the microbe could have come to contaminate the seeds, which were reportedly resold by a German firm, AGA SAAT GMBH. A British firm, Thompson & Morgan, had been identified as a source of some seeds sold to individuals near Bordeaux, but at this point it is unclear whether any fenugreek spice seeds came from that firm.
Meanwhile, French authorities reported that no link could be established between the death of a 78-year-old man, who had acquired an E. coli infection, and the virulent O104:H4 strain.
However, authorities said seven persons who had contracted the O104:H4 strain remained hospitalized in Bordeaux, France, in stable condition.
In all, ten people have been hospitalized in Bordeaux with E. coli infections.
In Germany, the death toll from the violent O104:H4 strain was put at 47. Many others will be afflicted by lifelong health problems related to kidney failure.
to deadly E. coli outbreaks?
As Egypt officially denied that exports of contaminated fenugreek seeds were behind ferocious E. coli outbreaks in Europe, a decade-old report surfaced warning that Cairo hospitals appeared to be hotbeds of antibiotic resistant super-bugs.
Researchers were sufficiently alarmed to call for "a nationwide surveillance programme to monitor microbial trends and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Egypt."
Writing in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Amani El Kholy and others said:
"The percentage of bloodstream isolates of Escherichia coli susceptible to common antimicrobial agents was as follows: ampicillin (6%), ampicillin–sulbactam (38%), co-trimoxazole (38%) and aminoglycosides (52%). The susceptibility of isolates of E. coli, Klebsiella and Enterobacter spp. to ceftazidime was 62%, 40% and 46%, respectively. This suggests a potentially high rate of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and/or Amp-C enzyme production. These results call for a nationwide surveillance programme to monitor microbial trends and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Egypt."
The report, "Antimicrobial resistance in Cairo, Egypt 1999–2000: a survey of five hospitals," was written by El Kholy, Hadia Baseem, Geraldine S. Hall, Gary W. Procop and David L. Longworth.
Concerning the probability of contamination, Egyptian Agriculture Minister Ayman Abu Hadeed said, "These claims are sheer lies, which have no scientific basis," adding: "The strain of E. coli in Europe is not found in Egypt. Secondly, all Egyptian farm produce and exports undergo complicated measures to be approved as fit for human consumption in line with international standards."
The El Kholy report abstract does not mention the O104:H4 strain.
Though investigators have found no contaminated seeds, experts say that random sampling may easily bypass a contaminated lot.
Fenugreek, according to a Wikipedia entry, is used both as a herb (the leaves) and as a spice (the seed, often called methi). The plant is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop and is a common ingredient in many curries.
How the rare strain of E. coli, O104:H4, which breeds only in human intestines, acquired genetic resistance to a wide range of antibiotics is not known, though one expert suggested that a hospital or hospitals were the breeding ground.
Nor is it clear how the microbe could have come to contaminate the seeds, which were reportedly resold by a German firm, AGA SAAT GMBH. A British firm, Thompson & Morgan, had been identified as a source of some seeds sold to individuals near Bordeaux, but at this point it is unclear whether any fenugreek spice seeds came from that firm.
Meanwhile, French authorities reported that no link could be established between the death of a 78-year-old man, who had acquired an E. coli infection, and the virulent O104:H4 strain.
However, authorities said seven persons who had contracted the O104:H4 strain remained hospitalized in Bordeaux, France, in stable condition.
In all, ten people have been hospitalized in Bordeaux with E. coli infections.
In Germany, the death toll from the violent O104:H4 strain was put at 47. Many others will be afflicted by lifelong health problems related to kidney failure.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
E. coli mystery deepens
with French disclosure
Experts, once confident they knew the source of a lethal strain of E. coli in Europe, are again mystified after French scientists revealed that another dangerous E. coli outbreak near Bordeaux weeks ago appears to match the same rare strain that struck northern Germany.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jun3011coli.html
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jun3011coli.html
Experts are scrambling to piece together the source of the pathogenic strain, O104:H4, after scientists disclosed that O104:H4 was the strain that gravely sickened 10 or more people near Bordeaux June 8 and appeared to match the genetic profile of the German strain.
Authorities said the infective bacteria in Bordeaux were unlikely to have originated on a German organic farm that has been identified as the source for the fatal German outbreak. In both outbreaks, consumption of raw bean spouts was a common factor and yet no E. coli have been found on or in suspect sprouts.
The separate outbreaks are puzzling because O104:H4 has never been identified in livestock or other animals, but only in human intestines. In the past decade, the rare bacteria strain has acquired immunity to a number of antibiotics commonly used to treat human patients, leading one expert to assert that the strain originated in one or more hospitals, as hospitals are notorious breeding grounds for resistant forms of bacteria.
And yet, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on June 29 issued a risk assessment implicating fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and 2010, from which sprouts were grown, as a common source of both outbreaks, but cautioned that "there is still much uncertainty about whether this is truly the common cause of the infections," as tests on the seeds had not yet found any E. coli bacteria of the O104:H4 strain.
Authorities said the infective bacteria in Bordeaux were unlikely to have originated on a German organic farm that has been identified as the source for the fatal German outbreak. In both outbreaks, consumption of raw bean spouts was a common factor and yet no E. coli have been found on or in suspect sprouts.
The separate outbreaks are puzzling because O104:H4 has never been identified in livestock or other animals, but only in human intestines. In the past decade, the rare bacteria strain has acquired immunity to a number of antibiotics commonly used to treat human patients, leading one expert to assert that the strain originated in one or more hospitals, as hospitals are notorious breeding grounds for resistant forms of bacteria.
And yet, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on June 29 issued a risk assessment implicating fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and 2010, from which sprouts were grown, as a common source of both outbreaks, but cautioned that "there is still much uncertainty about whether this is truly the common cause of the infections," as tests on the seeds had not yet found any E. coli bacteria of the O104:H4 strain.
http://www.fsai.ie/news_
The inability to find a plausible link raises the possibility that the bacteria were deliberately deposited on foods at the fair and on shipments of bean sprouts from the farm to German restaurants. In that case, the O104:H4 strain might have either been cultivated in a laboratory to gain antibiotic resistance or been a virulent hospital strain isolated by a researcher. However, this resistant strain seems to have never been reported as a hospital problem.
The suggestion that the E. coli might have resided on or in sprout seeds in a dormant state has not been verified.
The mainstream media have reported no indications of a terrorist act, with security authorities generally silent on the possibility.
Professor Joe Cummins of the Institute for Science In Society wrote that the E. coli strain was resistant to antibiotics "predominantly available in medical applications."
He observed, "The convergence of multiple antibiotic resistance genes and novel toxins suggest that the lethal bacteria originated in a hospital or hospitals."
Cummins noted: "E. coli O104:H4 also contains an array of antibiotic resistance genes conferring resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, piperacillin/sulbactam, apiperacillin/tazobactam, cefuroxim, cefuroxim-zxetil, cefoxitin, cefotaxim, cetfazidim, streptomycin, nalidixinsäure, tetracyclin, trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazol, exceeding the numerous resistance genes found in previous lethal outbreaks."
The inability to find a plausible link raises the possibility that the bacteria were deliberately deposited on foods at the fair and on shipments of bean sprouts from the farm to German restaurants. In that case, the O104:H4 strain might have either been cultivated in a laboratory to gain antibiotic resistance or been a virulent hospital strain isolated by a researcher. However, this resistant strain seems to have never been reported as a hospital problem.
The suggestion that the E. coli might have resided on or in sprout seeds in a dormant state has not been verified.
The mainstream media have reported no indications of a terrorist act, with security authorities generally silent on the possibility.
Professor Joe Cummins of the Institute for Science In Society wrote that the E. coli strain was resistant to antibiotics "predominantly available in medical applications."
He observed, "The convergence of multiple antibiotic resistance genes and novel toxins suggest that the lethal bacteria originated in a hospital or hospitals."
Cummins noted: "E. coli O104:H4 also contains an array of antibiotic resistance genes conferring resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, piperacillin/sulbactam, apiperacillin/tazobactam, cefuroxim, cefuroxim-zxetil, cefoxitin, cefotaxim, cetfazidim, streptomycin, nalidixinsäure, tetracyclin, trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazol, exceeding the numerous resistance genes found in previous lethal outbreaks."
http://www.amberwaves.org/
In France, according to Le Monde, 10 persons had been hospitalized with bloody diarrhea and severe renal impairment (hemolytic uremic syndrome). They had mostly eaten sprouts at a fair organized on June 8.
The North Germany outbreak began in May, killing about 40 and sickening about 3,000. Bordeaux is about 1,200 kilometers from Marburg, Germany, where diners at a restaurant took ill at the start of the outbreak.
In France, according to Le Monde, 10 persons had been hospitalized with bloody diarrhea and severe renal impairment (hemolytic uremic syndrome). They had mostly eaten sprouts at a fair organized on June 8.
The North Germany outbreak began in May, killing about 40 and sickening about 3,000. Bordeaux is about 1,200 kilometers from Marburg, Germany, where diners at a restaurant took ill at the start of the outbreak.
Reuters reported that French authorities say six of the people hospitalized in Bordeaux ate sprouted salad vegetables grown from seeds by parents for the fair at a leisure center in the Bordeaux suburb of Begles.
The suburb's mayor, Noel Mamere, told Reuters the seeds had been bought from a local shop, whose entire stock had since been seized. The French commerce ministry said the seeds at the shop were supplied by Thompson & Morgan, a British firm which argued that it had sold many seeds, with no reports of illness.
While awaiting the results of analyses, the government had instructed the consumer authority "to ask sellers of fenugreek, mustard and rocket seeds coming from supplier Thompson & Morgan to suspend the sale of these products."
Le Monde reported that for microbiologists, it can hardly be a routine coincidence that this very rare strain was found on the same type of sprout in places so widely separated and a few weeks apart.
Its natural reservoir is perhaps in a country of Asia or Africa where the tests are rare, Le Monde said, which does not simplify the task of epidemiologists.
Le Monde reported that for microbiologists, it can hardly be a routine coincidence that this very rare strain was found on the same type of sprout in places so widely separated and a few weeks apart.
Its natural reservoir is perhaps in a country of Asia or Africa where the tests are rare, Le Monde said, which does not simplify the task of epidemiologists.
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