The Role of Pathogenic E. coli in Fresh Vegetables: Behavior, Contamination Factors, and Preventive Measures

Table 1

Selected E. coli 0157 : H7 (otherwise noted) outbreaks associated with vegetables reported by the CDC.

Year	Vehicle	Cases	Hospitalizations	Deaths	Description and possible source(s)
2018	Romaine lettuce	210	96	5	Whole genome sequencing implicated E. coli 0157 : H7 found in canal water from the Yuma, AZ region. Could have been the result of water contaminated by water from cattle feedlot found upstream
2017	Leafy greens	25	9	1	Associated with various leafy green types
2016	Alfalfa sprouts	11	2	0	Associated with one sprout facility. The source is not known, but the contaminated seed could have been the source
2014	Raw clover sprouts—E. coli O121	19	8	0	FDA concluded that the source could have been a lot of contaminated seed sanitary deficiencies found in the installation
2013	Ready-to-eat salads	33	7	0	Salads contained cooked chicken/ham which could have been the source of contamination
2012	Mixed organic spinach and spring salad	33	13	0	It was traced back to a facility, but the source of contamination is unknown
	Raw clover sprouts—E. coli O26	29	7	0	Was traced to a possible lot of contaminated seeds
2011	Romaine lettuce	49	33	0	Traceback led to a farm that no longer produced the lettuce, and thus, the source is unknown
2010	Shredded romaine lettuce—E. coli O145	30	12	0	Traceback could not lead to the source of contamination
2006	Fresh washed spinach	199	102	3	Similar samples of E. coli were isolated from water and cattle manure from a nearby cattle ranch; The presence of wild pigs on the ranch and the proximity of surface waterways to wells could have also played a role

Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks.html.