As of January 10, 2018, in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were continuing to investigate a multistate outbreak of 24 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections in 15 states. The likely source of the outbreak in the United States appears to be leafy greens, but officials had not specifically identified a type of leafy greens eaten by people who became ill. Leafy greens typically have a short shelf life, and since the last illness started a month ago, it is likely that contaminated leafy greens linked to this outbreak are no longer available for sale. Canada identified romaine lettuce as the source of illnesses there, but the source of the romaine lettuce or where it became contaminated is unknown. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) showed that the STEC 0157:H7 strain from ill people in the United States is closely related genetically to the STEC 0157:H7 strain from ill people in Canada. WGS data alone are not sufficient to prove a link; health officials rely on other sources of data, such as interviews from ill people, to support the WGS link. The investigation is ongoing. Because CDC has not identified a specific type of leafy greens linked to the U.S. infections, and because of the short shelf life of leafy greens, CDC did not recommend that U.S. residents avoid any particular food.
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