The deadly E. Coli outbreak that originated in northern Germany continues to spread, and now appears to have reached at least 12 countries, the British newspaper The Guardian reports.
The affected countries include the the U.S., where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it is investigating three suspected cases. All three of the Americans involved recently traveled to Hamburg, Germany.
The CDC has alerted state health departments, but the outbreak remains almost entirely in Europe, and the agency has downplayed the risk to most Americans. It advises anyone who recently has traveled to Germany and who has symptoms of the illness — including severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, which often is bloody — to seek medical attention.
As European health officials scramble to contain the outbreak that has sickened more than 1,600 people, and killed 18, some of their U.S. counterparts think they may have gotten started on the wrong track.
As The New York Times reports, many American experts dismissed initial concerns about the pathogen being antibiotic-resistant, saying that such a disease shouldn’t be treated with drugs anyway.
“If you give antibiotics and the strain is resistant, then you give that bacteria a competitive advantage to the other bugs in your gut that are susceptible to the drugs, and so it’s an even better environment for the infection,” said Dr. Phillip Tarr, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.
Instead of antibiotics, the most effective treatment is intravenous fluids, which help to keep the kidneys functioning, Tarr said.
Some U.S. authorities also scoff at the idea that the current strain of E. coli now striking Europe is unique.
“This bug has been seen before,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the division of food-borne, bacterial and mycotic diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A specific food has not been confirmed as the source of the infections, according to the CDC. In the meantime, German public health authorities have recommended against eating raw lettuce, tomatoes or cucumbers, particularly in the northern regions of the country.
U.S. authorities currently have no information that any of these foods have been shipped from Europe to the United States, the CDC said, and there are no known cases among U.S. military personnel stationed overseas or their families.
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