I apologize for the length of this post, but I know that many posters prefer not to click on links (understandably), but I felt that the info was important.
From Daily Mail:
"Ten people's kidneys are failing after they contracted E. coli from romaine lettuce, the CDC announced today.
Since it began in March, an E. coli outbreak traced back to romaine grown in Yuma, Arizona has now sickened nearly 100 people.
At least 46 of those people have been hospitalized by a potentially deadly form of the bacteria, which produces the dangerous Shiga-toxin.
Illnesses have now been diagnosed in 22 states, with new cases found in Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin this week.
The agency says those infected range in age from one to 88. More than half of are female.
The agency and the US Food and Drug Administration last week issued a warning against eating all romaine lettuce.
Officials have not yet identified the source of the tainted lettuce except to say that it came from the Yuma region.
Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli is so potent that the Department of Homeland Security even lists it as a potential agent of biological warfare.
The toxin binds to white blood cells, riding to them to the kidneys where it breaks into the heart of cells.
Cell death triggers the body to send red blood cells to the kidneys, causing clots and kidney failure.
In an effort to get to the bottom of the outbreak, disease hunters are using genetic sequencing in their investigation of the ongoing food poisoning outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, a technique that is revolutionizing the detection of germs in food.
The genetic analysis is being used to bolster investigations and - in some cases - connect the dots between what were once seemingly unrelated illnesses.
The investigation is also uncovering previously unfathomed sources of food poisoning, including one outbreak from apples dipped in caramel.
So far, most of the work has largely focused on one germ, listeria. But it is expanding.
Scientists used the genome sequencing technique in their investigation of the romaine lettuce outbreak, though other methods have so far been largely responsible for their ability to trace the contamination to Arizona.
Hopefully, continued DNA analysis will help officials narrow the source to particular farms.
By the end of this year, labs in all 50 states are expected to also be using genetic sequencing for much more common causes of food poisoning outbreaks, including salmonella and the E. coli bacteria linked to recent lettuce outbreak.
That means the number of identifiable outbreaks are likely to explode even if the number of illnesses don't.
'There are a lot of outbreaks where they don't connect the dots. Now they're going to be connected,' said Michael Doyle, a retired University of Georgia professor who is an expert on foodborne illness.
The new DNA testing is enabling disease detectives to spot food contamination before anyone is aware of a resulting human illness.
'It's turning around how outbreaks are figured out,' said Bill Marler, a prominent Seattle lawyer who has made a business of suing companies whose products sicken people.
Marler added that the program is in its early stages and it's too early to call it a success. But he said the new approach has the potential to transform how and when outbreaks come to light.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is driving the program. It estimates that 48 million Americans get sick - and 3,000 die - from food poisoning each year.
You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.
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