Do not take over-the-counter anti-diarrheal remedies if you come down with E. coli from your spinach, said Dr. Michael Zimring, director of the Center for Wilderness and Travel Medicine in Baltimore.
“It makes it worse by preventing your body from eliminating the toxins,” Zimring said. Products like Anti-Diarrheal Formula and Imodium A-D could aggravate symptoms, including bloody stool.
E. coli is a bacterium often associated with cow manure and the intestinal tracts of cows.
Most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The strain affecting spinach, E. coli O157:H7, produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness.
Zimring warned that the associated hemolytic uremic syndrome that attacks patients? kidneys could cause permanent and lasting damage that could come back to haunt a person. The most effective treatment once you contract the infection is to drink plenty of fluids and rest, he said.
There is no evidence that antibiotics improve the course of infection, and it is thought that treatment with some antibiotics may worsen kidney complications.
Other known sources of infection include consumption of sprouts, lettuce, salami, unpasteurized milk and juice, and swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water.
E. coli in spinach can be killed by cooking it at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds, according to the CDC. Water boils at 212 degrees. If cooked in a frying pan, all parts of the leaf may not reach 160 degrees, and all bacteria may not be killed.
The CDC further warns to use the same food-safety measures you would for grilling beef. Avoid cross-contamination of spinach with other foods or food preparation surfaces, and wash hands, utensils and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling the spinach.
