June 3, 2011

 

Australian beef may be involved in E. coli outbreak

 

 

Australian beef might have been involved in an E. coli outbreak in Japan, but the contamination was likely to have occurred during processing overseas, according to Meat and Livestock Australia.

 

Fifteen customers of a Korean-style barbecue restaurant chain fell ill last month, and the owners have suggested the infections might have been caused by Australian beef imports.

 

The claim came as scientists warned that another rare antibiotic-resistant strain of the killer germ could be behind nearly 20 deaths in Europe.

 

Meat and Livestock Australia regional manager Melanie Brock says an investigation into the Japanese outbreak is ongoing and the source of the beef has not been officially confirmed.

 

"At this stage what we need to determine is at exactly at what point the contamination has taken place," she said.

 

"We believe it has taken place during processing in Japan of Australian beef, but it's still very early here. We're working through the details."

 

Earlier, Beef Association chairman Brad Bellinger questioned whether the restaurant owners might be trying to shift the blame onto Australia.

 

He said widely publicised suggestions of Australian involvement could harm the industry.

 

The E. coli strain in Japan is not the same as the one causing the outbreak in Europe, which the World Health Organisation says is "very rare" and has never been seen in an outbreak form before.

 

The European strain has killed 17 people in Germany and one in Sweden and was originally blamed on Spanish cucumbers.

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