A microbiologist points out an isolated E. coli growth on an agar plate at the Washington State Department of Health, Nov. 3, 2015, in Shoreline, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say a food-poisoning outbreak tied to alfalfa sprouts and involving multiple germs has sickened people in 15 states.
\n\nState officials announced the outbreak earlier this week, saying they documented more than three dozen cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin. On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency is aware of 55 cases nationally, including four people who have been hospitalized.
\n\nThe CDC said cases are also reported in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington.
\n\nOf 34 sick people interviewed, 26 reported eating alfalfa sprouts, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
\n\nFood poisoning outbreaks tend to be defined by one type of germ, but this outbreak involves people with salmonella and different strains of E. coli.
\n\nShiga toxin-producing E. coli — or STEC — can cause stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. Infections can lead to a severe complication that involves acute kidney failure.
\n\nSalmonella…
Original source: https://apnews.com/business
