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The strain may also have been linked to E. coli

Jan. 6, 2017 by Kimberly Parks

The strain may also have been linked to E. coli infection.

"This study shows that E. coli is not the only culprit of this outbreak," said Dr. David R. Hirschner, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a statement. "There also has been more research on why this strain of bacteria was spread at a higher rate than other strains of Escherichia coli. There are now signs that this outbreak may be under control."

The outbreak is a bit of an anomaly. As previously reported, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't label Escherichia coli as a causative agent of outbreaks, despite its widespread presence in lettuce crop and animal feed.

The new research suggests that the strain may be the only known cause of these deadly outbreaks.

"The strain is very different. It has been shown in other strains that it is a cause of a greater number of cases of serious foodborne diseases," said Dr. Hirschner.

As for the CDC, the agency has been working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help the CDC develop a plan to prevent, prevent and control the spread of new strains of this deadly bacteria.

The FDA has also been looking into possible use of the Escherichia coli strain in certain foods.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis and other labs are working to test whether the strain could cause the devastating outbreaks that occurred in California.

But that's the way this study is going to play out, said Hirschner. He said that one of the main problems with the new study is that it focuses too much on other strains of bacteria, such as E. coli.

"In the next year or so, we'll learn more about both the other strains of bacteria that may have spread and how they are connected," he said.

The FDA is expected to issue a new round of information to the public on how it will handle the investigation into the case. The agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) will also begin the investigation, with a goal of finding out whether it has any additional information on the outbreak.

The new study was written by Dr. Charles M. Beres, a Harvard-trained microbiologist. This research was conducted in collaboration with his team at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis); the Department of Defense (DoD); the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),