Officials Consider Spinach Labeling Plan

Lettuce crops are see in Salinas, Calif. on Monday, Sept. 18, 2006. Grocers tried to lure shoppers with alternative greens, as a national recall of spinach because of an E. coli outbreak continues. The popularity of bagged salad greens has been a boom to farmers who are now suffering from the outbreak which has been traced to packaged spinach. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP)

Anyone who's eaten spinach and is feeling nervous about what to do, the answer is: nothing, just wait, Dr. Patricia Griffin, of the CDC, told doctors Thursday during a conference call.

E. coli typically has taken three days to incubate in patients in the current outbreak, though it can take as long as 10 to 12 days, said Dr. Phillip Tarr of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Anyone who does go on to develop diarrhea, especially bloody stools, and suffer severe abdominal cramps should see a doctor. Doctors should order a stool culture that looks specifically for the E. coli O157:H7 strain of the bacteria, Griffin said.

E. coli patients shouldn't take diarrhea medications like Imodium because they can cause complications. The same goes for antibiotics: No study has demonstrated any benefit to using antibiotics to treat E. coli, while multiple studies have suggested possible harm, Tarr said.

Tarr recommended hospitalization and intravenous fluids for serious patients. Hospitalization would also help prevent the spread of infection _ something seen in about 10 percent of cases in the past.

"People with E. coli infection _ even adults _ are biohazards," Tarr said.

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On the Net:

FDA E. coli information: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/spinach.html