Europe on alert over tainted cucumber scare

     BRUSSELS, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is sending Europe on high alert, as death toll¹ from the disease climbed to 16 till Tuesday.

    So far, 15 people have reportedly died and more than 300 were seriously ill from infections linked to tainted² vegetables in Germany. Experts said the numbers are expected to increase in the coming week.

    "We hope the number of cases will go down but we fear it will worsen," said Oliver Grieve, spokesperson with the University Medical Center Schleswig where most German victims are being treated.

    The German government has identified the pathogen as hemolytic-uremic syndrome³ (HUS), a serious complication of a type of E. coli known as Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC). The bacteria could damage blood cells and kidneys, and hence cause deaths.

    A woman in her 50s was confirmed to be the first fatal victim out of Germany by a local hospital on Tuesday. Officials at the hospital in Boras, southwestern Sweden, said the woman, who had recently traveled to Germany, was admitted on May 29.

    Swedish health authorities already said on Sunday that 36 people, all linked to travel in northern Germany, had been confirmed to have infected with E.coli, whereas cases were also reported in France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain.

    It was the second food scare for European consumers this year. In January, highly toxic⁴ dioxin was found in eggs, poultry⁵ and pork products across Germany.

    German authorities had initially⁶ suspected cucumbers imported from Spain to be one possible source of the E. coli outbreak, as three out of four contaminated cucumbers analyzed⁷ last week by the Hamburg Institute for Hygiene⁸ and the Environment came from Spain.

    But officials said they could not determine the exact source of the virulent⁹ strain of the bacteria ahead of a crisis meeting in Berlin on Monday.

    Nevertheless, parts of the 82-million-populated country have already banned import of cucumber from Spain, while the country's national disease center, the Robert Koch Institute, suggested people avoid eating raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce¹⁰ for a while.

    Meanwhile, Spain, clearly on the defensive¹¹, insisted that the country was not necessarily the source of the disease and that the cucumbers could have been contaminated during transport to Germany.

    "You can't attribute the origin of this sickness to Spain," Spain's Secretary of State for European Affairs, Diego Lopez Garrido told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

    "There is no proof and that's why we are going to demand accountability from those who have blamed Spain for this matter," he said.

    Frederic Vincent, an EU spokesperson said authorities were currently testing water and soil from the greenhouses that were identified as the source of the contaminated cucumbers.

    The results of the tests are expected later on Tuesday or Wednesday, he said.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

9 virulent   

adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的

参考例句：

• She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
• I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评，我还是维护她。

10 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

11 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。