More than a hundred cases of E.coli have been detected in the UK as a result of a single outbreak.
At least 37 people have been admitted to hospital as a result – and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned cases are likely to rise.
The 113 cases recorded so far include people aged from two years old to 79, with the majority of the infections in young adults.
But what is E.coli, what are the symptoms of infection – and what has happened in previous outbreaks?
What is E.coli?
Short for Escherichia coli, E.coli is a bacteria that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.
Most E.coli strains are harmless but some can cause serious food poisoning.
That is the case with Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (Stec), a bacterium that can cause severe foodborne disease.
All the cases recorded in this latest outbreak contain Stec.
There are typically around 1,500 cases of Stec over a full year in the UK, according to the UKHSA.
How it spreads
Primary sources of Stec outbreaks are raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and faecal contamination of vegetables, WHO says.
It is often transmitted by eating contaminated food but can also be spread by close contact with an infected person, as well as direct contact with an infected animal or its environment.
The UKHSA has ruled out the disease spreading through water, saying there was “currently no evidence linking the outbreak to open farms, drinking water or swimming in contaminated seawater, lakes or rivers”.
This outbreak is believed to be linked to a “nationally distributed food item“, according to the UKHSA, but the agency has not given more details on which food could be a source of the infection.
