E.coli and STEC - what about it? EN
25 October 2018What is STEC?
STEC is the abbreviation for the Shigatoxin producing Escherichia coli bacterium. E. coli occurs naturally in the intestines of humans and animals and is normally harmless. However, a small proportion of E. coli can cause symptoms of illness (such as vomiting and diarree)by producing shigatoxin. Some of these STEC bacteria can even cause very serious symptoms such as haemorrhagic colitis (bloody diarrhea) and haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) that causes kidney damage. These variants are referred to as Enterohaemorrhagic E. colis (EHEC). In the past, products were particularly studied for E.coli O157:H7. Although this has been responsible for many outbreaks, there are also a number of other variants that are just as dangerous (see picture below).
In which products is STEC a risk?
DThe largest outbreak of STEC occurred in 2011, when more than 3,000 people became ill from eating sprouting vegetables contaminated with Escherichia coli O104:H4 (an EHEC). In Regulation EC No. 2073(2005), this parameter has therefore been explicitly mentioned for sprout vegetables since 2014. However, STEC is also known to be commonly found in beef and raw milk, and raw vegetables may also be contaminated. Recently there were 2 more recalls in the Netherlands, after STEC was found in farm cheese and lamb skewers. At the moment, the German Bundesambt is warning about a cheese in which STEC might be present.
Intervention policy NVWA
In 2014, the NVWA announced through the policy line "Intervention presence STEC in food" that producers must include STEC in their HACCP analysis and will also be checked for it. In the most recent version of Information Sheet 85, the NVWA authority has emphasized this again. A distinction should be made between 'high risk profile food' and 'low risk profile food'. High risk profile foods are ready-to-eat foods, including foods that need to be heated by the consumer but may not be heated well enough to eliminate the risk. If STEC are found in these foods, they should be withdrawn from the market.
In low-risk profile products, the STEC bacterium may be present, provided that it has been proven not to be one of the most dangerous variants of the STEC bacterium. It must also be demonstrated that the products are well heated for consumption.
Research into STEC
The research at STEC focuses primarily on finding E.colis that can produce Shigatoxin. If this result is positive and it concerns a high risk profile foodstuff, then the product must be withdrawn from the market. In the case of a low-risk profile foodstuff, a recall may still be prevented by means of follow-up studies in which a number of additional properties of the isolated STEC are examined. However, this research can only be carried out in specialized laboratories, so that in practice it is often decided to withdraw the product directly from the market.
Want to know more?
Would you like to know more about managing the risks related to STEC or the research into STEC?
Feel free to contact the experts of Eurofins Food Safety Solutions via foodsafetysolutions@ftbnl.eurofins.com or 088 8310330