Tom Biasi > wrote:

>"Nancy2" wrote in message

>> Outbreak in Europe blamed on 'super-toxic' strain
>> LONDON, Thu Jun 02, 04:51 PM
>>
>> "Scientists on Thursday blamed Europe's worst recorded food-poisoning
>> outbreak on a "super-toxic" strain of E. coli bacteria that may be brand
>> new."
>
>It's a strain mutated from a known strain. All cases outside Germany,
>were in Germany recently, or have some connection to northern
>Germany. I believe there are 4 such cases in the US so far.

There is some speculation that what they're dealing with is not
so much a mutant strain of bacteria, but a phage that can insert itself
into various strains of E. Coli. The coding for the toxins is in the
phage rather than in the bacterial genome. This could make it harder
to combat.

Steve