"poison Cucumber" Harasses Many European Countries

It is announced that in Stone Idaho state of Germany two elderly female patients are killed by intestinal disease caused by colibacillus. Thus, the number of deaths in Germany due to E. coli infections rose to 10 people. At present, the E. coli outbreak has spread to Denmark and other European countries. It is believed that the culprit causing this outbreak are the fresh cucumbers imported from Spain. Europe's largest teaching hospitals - Charite Hospital in Berlin say in the next few weeks, Germany may have more deaths. The number may exceed one hundred.

Germany's Lower Saxony state health department announced that an 83-year-old patient in the region was taken to the hospital for stomach emergency on May 15. The patient died on May 21. Doctors discovered Escherichia coli (EHEC) in her body. On the same day, a 25-year-old woman from Bremen and an 80 years woman from Schleswig-Holstein have been killed and the cause of death are all related to this E. coli. Few days later, E. coli continued to spread European countries.

Until May 28, in Germany more than 1,000 people have been confirmed infected with the disease, of which 276 people have hemolytic uremia syndrome. 9 of 10 dead people are adult female and 1 is male. Germany epidemic has spread to 16 states, but mainly concentrated in the northern Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg. Epidemiological study of the German authorities to prevent the Robert Koch Institute, said the chief culprit in the outbreak is is a variant of EHEC "Husec41". To be infected, the patient will appear abdominal cramps and diarrhea. At the same time, there will be life-threatening to patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome. The clinical manifestations of it are acute renal failure, hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia.

The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of Sweden said the epidemic is one of the largest epidemics of the "hemolytic uremic syndrome." Patients who have the "Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome" are usually children under the age of 5. But in this epidemic nearly 90 percent patients were adults and the proportion of women reached nearly 70 percent.

On May 26, the Hamburg Institute found the intestinal Escherichia coli from the Spanish imported cucumbers. Members of the authorities reminded people to be careful when eating the cucumbers, raw tomatoes, lettuce and so on. Many supermarkets will therefore withdraw the Spanish cucumbers from frame. But the virus is quickly spreading to European countries. E. coli infections have been found in Sweden, Denmark, Britain and the Netherlands and so on.