April 19, 2018
By: Niraj Chokshi
The New York Times
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At least 53 people have been sickened by tainted, chopped romaine lettuce in an expanding E. coli outbreak that now spans 16 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

A romaine lettuce field near Somerton, Ariz., in 2016. To pinpoint the exact source of the E. coli, investigators would need samples of the tainted lettuce itself. Credit Caitlin O'Hara for The New York Times

The contaminated greens have been traced to Yuma, Ariz., but investigators recommended abundant caution because they have not yet identified a specific source.

Restaurants and consumers should avoid and trash any pre-chopped romaine lettuce from that area, it said, even if some has already been consumed without consequence.

“If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away,” the C.D.C. said in a statement.

The Wednesday report shows that the outbreak has expanded in recent days. On Friday, the C.D.C. had reported only 35 illnesses in 11 states.

The people infected in the outbreak range in age from 10 to 85. Seventy percent of them are female. At least 31 people were hospitalized and five had developed kidney failure, according to the agency. No one has died yet.

The first illness linked to the outbreak began on March 13 and the last was recorded as starting on April 6, but there may be more to come. Any infections that began after March 29 may have yet to be counted because it typically takes two to three weeks for an illness to be reported.

The agency was first alerted to the outbreak by health officials in New Jersey, who had noticed an increase in E. coli cases in the state, said Dr. Laura Gieraltowski, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. After some discussion, it became clear that many of those infected had eaten chopped romaine lettuce at restaurants before getting sick.

Concerned, the agency looked for related cases by checking PulseNet, a national network of laboratories that catalog samples of harmful bacteria from infected patients.

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