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Intestinal infection epidemic in Europe is caused by a mutated strain of E.coli
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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An outbreak of intestinal infection in several European countries, which has already claimed 17 lives, is caused by a new strain, the World Health Organization reported.
According to preliminary analysis, the new strain, which contains the lethal gene, is the result of a mutation of two different rod-shaped bacteria.
According to the organization's food safety expert Hilda Cruz, the new strain has a whole set of characteristics that make it more lethal than other bacteria.
Currently, more than 1,500 cases of the new intestinal infection have been recorded in the EU, mainly in Germany. 470 people have a rare complication associated with kidney failure.
Experts associate the spread of infection with the consumption of fresh vegetables that are not subjected to heat treatment (cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce). Frequent manifestations of infection are bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. A severe complication - hemolytic uremic syndrome, threatening the development of acute renal failure, can occur after the diarrhea has stopped.
Doctors have not yet determined the cause of the outbreak, which has affected at least nine European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Britain, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, France and Spain.