Government investigators have found the same virulent strain of E. coli that has sickened nearly 200 people around the nation in cattle manure on pastureland adjacent to two Salinas-area spinach fields, officials announced Tuesday, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The discovery, however, doesn’t end the search for a smoking gun.
Investigators are awaiting results from genetic analyses to determine whether there is a direct link between the E. coli found in the pasture and the bacteria found in bagged spinach, said Kevin Reilly, deputy director of Prevention Services for the Department of Health Services.
