Recently, a large-scale mass food poisoning incident occurred at a kindergarten in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is 60, and some children are showing symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS, also known as hamburger disease). Hemolytic uremic syndrome, called hamburger disease, is one of the complications of enterohemorrhagic colitis infection.
The main symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome include swelling of the body, increased blood pressure, decreased kidney function, and complications such as hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. Because of this, parents’ concerns and worries about their children contracting hamburger disease are increasing.
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the transmission routes of pathogenic Escherichia coli, including enterohemorrhagic E. coli, can be seen as consumption of contaminated beef (hamburger patties), vegetables grown using cattle manure, insufficiently cooked milk and dairy products, or transmission from infected persons to others.
In other words, food poisoning caused by pathogenic E. coli occurs when foods contaminated by invisible bacteria such as O-157 E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella are not properly cooked. Since O-157 E. coli releases strong toxins, enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection as well as hemolytic uremic syndrome can be caused, so special caution is required.
In this regard, according to a 2019 food poisoning analysis report released by IFSAC (The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration), composed of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 75% of food poisoning caused by O-157 E. coli was due to beef and root vegetables (lotus root, etc.). In 2011, many patients were infected with hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating fenugreek sprouts contaminated with enterohemorrhagic E. coli in Germany and France.
Meanwhile, whenever food poisoning-related issues arise socially, debates about milk and dairy products among various food groups become particularly active. However, as announced by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the causative foods of pathogenic E. coli are widely distributed, including undercooked contaminated ground beef, bean sprouts, spinach, lettuce, ham, seafood, and lunch boxes. Milk and dairy products that can cause food poisoning are only those consumed without pasteurization.
All milk and dairy products produced and sold domestically are 100% pasteurized and refrigerated during distribution, so they cannot cause food poisoning due to O-157 E. coli. In addition, milk is thoroughly managed and distributed through multiple stages of inspection for harmful residues from the farm to the production process.
Regarding this, Professor Kang Jaeheon of the Department of Family Medicine at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital explained, “Enterohemorrhagic E. coli can be transmitted through unpasteurized milk, but there are no products distributed in Korea that have not undergone pasteurization, and bacteria causing food poisoning are killed by heating at 70 degrees Celsius for just one minute,” adding, “Attributing food poisoning to milk is likely a case from overseas, not Korea.” Therefore, it would be difficult to consider milk as the cause of food poisoning as some suggest.
To prevent enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection accompanied by acute bloody diarrhea and cramping abdominal pain, basic preventive measures for waterborne infectious diseases must be followed. Wash hands with soap under running water for at least 30 seconds before and after meals and after using the restroom, and maintain hygiene when in contact with carrier animals or infected persons. It is advisable to boil water before drinking, wash vegetables and fruits with clean water and peel them before eating, and always cook meat thoroughly.
As the weather gets hotter, it is necessary to wisely cope with diseases that are easy to contract in summer based on a correct understanding of food poisoning caused by pathogenic E. coli.
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