Possible E. coli contamination leads to recall of some California red lettuce, green lettuce, and cauliflower

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      Health Canada has issued another alert in connection with vegetables.

      This weekend, it says that certain caulifower, red lettuce, and green lettuce is being pulled from the marketplace because of possible E. coli contamination.

      It was produced by Adam Bros. Farming of Santa Maria, California, and has been distributed in Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and "possibly national", according to the federal regulator.

      "This recall was triggered by a recall in the US which resulted from an investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to the consumption of romaine lettuce," Health Canada states on its website. "The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is working with the United States Food and Drug Administration, and is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products." 

      Details about product numbers are available on Health Canada's website.

      According to a paper published in Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, healthy cattle are a "reservoir" of E. coli 0157:H7, which is a major food-borne pathogen.

      It can survive well in the environment, according to the paper, and its effects range from a lack of symptoms all the way to death. 

      If people become sick, the first sign is non-bloody diarrhea—and that may be the end of it. But in some cases, it can lead to severe health problems, including hemorrhagic colitis.

      If the gut-blood barrier is broken, then toxins can spread throughout the body.

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