E. Coli Found Near 2 Calif. Spinach Farms

E. coli similar to that linked to a recent deadly outbreak has been found in eight fecal samples collected near two California farms that may have been a source of contaminated spinach.

It will be several more days, however, before investigators know whether the type of E. coli found matches the strain of the bacteria that since the end of August has sickened 193 people in 26 states and Canada, and killed at least one elderly woman in Wisconsin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last week rescinded its mid-September warning to consumers to avoid all fresh spinach and declared it safe to eat, with the exception of spinach recalled by Natural Selection Foods LLC, a processor linked to the outbreak, and four other packers Natural Selection supplied.

Investigators narrowed the potential source of the outbreak to 12 fields on nine farms in California's Salinas Valley and have collected hundreds of water, soil, plant and animal waste samples, which are still being analyzed.

The eight samples that tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7 were taken from cattle feces collected from pastures adjacent to spinach fields on two of the farms, Kevin Reilly, a top California food safety official, said yesterday.

The discovery of this particularly toxic strain of E. coli in cattle feces "was not a big surprise," Reilly said.

E. coli is normally found in the digestive system of humans and other warm-blooded animals.

The question for investigators, he said, is whether there is "any link between this particular finding and the outbreak strain."

E. coli in pastures could potentially contaminate spinach growing nearby if it ends up in irrigation water or runoff, Reilly said.

The latest E. coli outbreak is the 20th associated with leafy greens over the past 10 years and the ninth traced to the Salinas Valley.