"Disease detectives" tracking Europe E.coli
A severe E. coli outbreak in Europe has killed at least 18 people and affected more than 1,700 others, including at least three Americans. Doctors say this particular bacteria haven't been tied to human illness before.
CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton reported public health officials in Europe believe the outbreak began from people eating raw produce in northern Germany and so far, 10 countries have reported cases.
And they're still investigating.
Ashton said "disease detectives" are on the case, looking for the origins of the contamination and the pace of the spread.
"They're obviously trying to identify where the contamination came from and, medically, they're looking at the course that this illness is producing in human beings," she said.
However, Ashton said, beyond the theories about raw produce, there are still more questions than answers. Researchers say they've never seen anything like it.
Dr. Robert Tauxe, a food-borne disease expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calls the outbreak in Europe "quite extraordinary."
It's a new strain of E. coli, called 0104:H4, and it may be one of the most toxic strains of the bacteria ever discovered. So far, scientists are baffled about how it entered the food supply.
Tauxe said, "It's hard to know what the point of contamination was in this case. That's what the investigation is going to have to determine."
But scientists believe the E. coli somehow ended up contaminating lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, and are advising people in northern Germany to avoid these foods.
Tauxe said the toxin can damage the intestine, causing diarrhea, or it can spread into the bloodstream, damaging the kidneys or even the brain.
Two Americans have been hospitalized with kidney failure after returning to the U.S. from Germany. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is stepping up inspections of produce from Europe to try to prevent the outbreak from spreading to America.
Tauxe said, "It's important to learn just how this contamination occurred, so we can be sure that it will not happen here."
Ashton explained on "The Early Show" that this particular strain of E. coli - never seen before in this country and only sporadically in Europe - has two components: a toxin released by the bacteria and a glue that causes that bacteria to stick to the walls of the intestine, which makes humans sick.
She said, "It's producing gastrointestinal illness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, (and) in some cases severe kidney failure."
Each year in the U.S., Ashton pointed out, there are about 170,000 E. coli cases, with about 20 deaths.
Ashton said, "They've already matched that (number) in Europe in just this outbreak alone. So we are watching it closely. And we want to make sure that, again, either they identify the source of the contamination and it's self-limited - or if it's spreading to this country - how we can follow it."