Primary disease focus due to E. coli O104:H4, a combination of aggravating factors. [French]Original Title Foyer a E. coli O104:H4, un cumul de circonstances aggravantes.

摘要

The recent outbreaks of food-borne illness due to E. coli O104:H4 were diffuse, massive, and spread over time; a multitude of avenues were investigated in Germany and beyond. Evidentiary inconsistencies accumulated including a series of failures by experts (chronological, statistical, microbiological). The foodstuffs that could have been implicated were traced with difficulty and sanitary evidence was diluted by the number of companies involved. The food vehicle was found to be germinated seeds of fenugreek, but evidence of liability, in particular the method and time of contamination of the seed, is lacking.