As the cases of E. coli spread throughout the country, Iowa has taken preventative steps to keep the current strain from reaching the state.

As of 1 p.m. Thursday, there have been 157 cases of E. coli infection reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 83 hospitalizations and one death, according to a statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration. Although Iowa is bordered by three infected states, there have been no reported cases.

There have been actions taken in hopes to keep the E. coli away from the ISU campus and the Ames community said Dr. Marc Shulman, staff physician for the Thielen Student Health Center.”I don’t believe that the dining services have included raw spinach in their meals and I went to the store the other day and they had no spinach on the shelves,” he said.

The recall has not been limited just to Iowa, but has happened throughout the nation according to Nicole Peckumn, interim communications director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. The national recall is very significant in Peckumn’s mind.

“The FDA has had a recall of all bagged spinach and fresh spinach products that you would find in your produce section,” she said. “They haven’t focused it just on the state or particularly one specific brand but they have said that all spinach, whether it be at a restaurant or a grocer’s, etc. needs to be thrown away.”

Peckumn added informing the public about what is going on and what they should do is another key measure that has been done to help prevent the bacteria from spreading.

Symptoms for individuals infected with the E. coli bacteria are very distinctive and recognizable, Peckumn said.

“When people do have E. coli of the severity that we’re seeing around the country, the symptoms are pretty eye-opening,” she explained. “It’s severe bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramping and a high fever.”

Shulman said another possible symptom of the illness could include decreased urination in infected individuals.

Individuals who have not consumed raw spinach recently and have remained symptom-free so far should be fine, Peckumn said. Symptoms only take a few days to develop, so only those who have recently eaten the food need to be on the look out, she said. Peckumn added, however, that if you have recently consumed raw spinach and became sick within a few days, go see a doctor as soon as possible.

As far as the current outbreak is concerned, both Peckumn and Shulman had some tips in order for students to stay healthy.

First, they both recommended avoiding eating raw spinach or anything that contains raw spinach. Another thing that is important is to always wash your hands frequently, especially after you have used the restroom.

“It is most important to wash your hands to keep E. coli from spreading,” Shulman said.

Although Iowa has not experienced any E. coli cases from the current outbreak, Peckumn noted that it is not new to the state. She also added that cooking your meat thoroughly, properly refrigerating your meat and washing your hands after handling raw meat are all good ways to prevent becoming infected with E. coli.

Not all strains of E. coli are poisonous, said Gregory Phillips, associate professor of veterinary microbiology and preventative medicine, who has done research with the E. coli bacteria.

The bacterium is also found in many places throughout our bodies and environment.

“E. coli is found everywhere,” he said. “The problem is that there are different strains of E. coli that become pathogenic.”

Although E. coli can be serious, people who are in basically good health will be able to recover, Phillips said.

“E. coli is primarily potentially lethal for infants or elderly people,” he said. “Typically someone who would have to have a weak immune system for it to become a real problem.”

The bacteria does not usually have a good chance of surviving if it actually gets onto the plant, said Gwyn Beattie, associate professor of plant pathology. Conditions have to be just right in order for the bacteria to survive.

“Many times, the bacteria E. coli dies once it gets onto the plant,” she said. “However, if it is in a humid environment and stays wet long enough to form a biofilm, which is a dense layer of bacteria, it is now protected.”

Bacteria such as E. coli do not actually affect the plant, Beattie said.

“Every plant has between 100,000 to 1 million bacteria on it – some that actually help the plant – but E. coli does not affect it.”