Infections in France were caused by the same strain as in Germany. There are hypotheses that shuffled that some infections were not sprouted shoots, but by water from irrigation or poor hygienic conditions. In Gallic territory contagion affect 10 persons, while in Germany 40 people have already died. The European Commission (EC) is in contact with authorities in France and Germany for trying to establish a link between outbreaks of the aggressive strain of e. coli that have occurred in these two countries, according to a spokesman for the EU Executive has announced. The French Government has confirmed to Brussels that the ten cases so far recorded in the southwest of France were caused by little common strain 104 of the bacterium e. coli, the same that has caused 40 deaths in Germany since it was detected the outbreak by mid May. The Commission seeks a possible link between the cases in France and Germany and makes questions about the possible source of infection, as he has stated the spokesperson for health and consumption of the Commission, Frederic Vincent.
According to Paris, seven of the ten people in hospital in Bordeaux with infections of e. coli and bloody diarrhea Thompson & Morgan, had consumed germinated seeds of the British company by that point to this as the source of the outbreak. France has called on London that you perform analysis on the ground to check whether the focus of infection is in the company based in Ipswich, while the Commission has requested an exchange of information with Germany to determine the root cases. Brussels is considering the hypothesis that the source of infection is in sprouts outbreaks that were then planted seeds the holdings of Germany and United Kingdom. We have asked the German authorities to investigate if the problem could be caused by contaminated seeds, said the spokesman. Another possibility is that the contagion in France not caused by grains already contaminated, if not by a contagion on the ground through the irrigation water or poor conditions hygienic, added Vincent. At the moment more cases in other Member States have not been detected nor triggered the rapid alert food (RASFF) system, although this could be implemented during the next few days, according to Vincent.
In any case, the Commission will be cautious at the time noted the information sent by the Member States and give its go-ahead to the alert in order to avoid another case like the cucumbers, added the spokesman. Cases of Bordeaux are the second outbreak of e. coli in two weeks in France, after the eight children in Lille (North of the country) infections, caused by the ingestion of ground beef purchased in a German supermarket chain. Source of the news: the European Commission seeks a link between outbreaks of e. coli in Germany and France