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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Local labs report more E. coli tests

Local laboratory tests for E. coli 0157:H7 have jumped more than 60 percent in the nearly two weeks since infections linked to bagged spinach sickened 175 people nationwide, medical workers said Monday.

None of the local samples has tested positive for the bacteria that causes the infection that has killed at least one person, but regional health officials said the increased volume is an indication of the level of public concern.

“Now that they know there’s a problem with the spinach, they’ll go running to the doctor,” said Molly Little, a medical technologist with Empire Health Services Laboratories in Spokane.

On average, Little’s lab performs 19 enteric or stool cultures each week, testing for E. coli infection and other problems. Last week, the lab performed 31 stool cultures at the request of local doctors.

“It’s a combination of things,” Little said. “We’ve had a lot of stomach flu, so the doctors are being overly cautions. And some doctors will accommodate a patient for even a twinge of a symptom.”

Increased tests also have been performed at Sacred Heart Medical Center, which provides 500 to 600 cultures a month, including those for Pathology Associates Medical Laboratory in Spokane.

“There’s a general fear out there,” said Jerry Claridge, supervisor of the microbiology lab.

That concern was heightened over the weekend, as distributors in Portland and Seattle recalled dozens of products from retailers, including many in the Inland Northwest.

Pacific Coast Fruit Company of Portland voluntarily recalled eight products that may include spinach supplied by Natural Selections Foods, a California grower implicated in the outbreak.

S.T. Produce of Seattle recalled 16 products that may have contained spinach provided by Natural Selections.

Many of the products were widely available in stores in Washington and Idaho. But representatives for large grocers such as Fred Meyer said they had pulled fresh spinach, bagged spinach and any food items made with spinach when the federal Food and Drug Administration issued first warnings Sept. 14.

“Our customers are pretty aware of the problem and aren’t bothered by the fact that we don’t have it,” said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer stores.

FDA officials have narrowed the spinach blamed for the outbreak to three California counties: Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara.

In a nod to growers in other parts of the nation, FDA officials modified a warning to consumers not to buy or eat fresh or bagged spinach. Officials said spinach grown outside of the three identified California counties is not implicated in the current outbreak. Frozen and canned spinach is not affected.

As of late Monday, the outbreak had sickened 175 people in 25 states, including three people in Washington and four in Idaho. Ninety-three people have been hospitalized, including one woman who died. Two other deaths have been reported in suspected cases, including a toddler in Idaho, but those cases are still being investigated.