I have heard it suggested that this was and is a terrorist attack and not just a screw up that happened at a farm. I don't know if it is or not, but I wonder if something as relatively benign as E. coli would be used in a bacterial attack. Compared to almost anything else that can be used in a biological attack, E. coli is fairly low grade, making people sick, but having a low mortality rate if treated. And why use spinach? But it appears that we are in the clear with it now.
Looks like wild pigs like spinach! Unfortunately, the result may have been the E. Coli outbreak seen in the US.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,225724,00.html
It will be interesting to see how the ranch is restored after this.
Researchers, farmers collaborate to prevent E. Coli
A collaborative study involving microbiologists, epidemiologists, animal scientists, veterinarians, graduate students, undergraduates and farmers could lead to better prevention practices to limit dangerous E. Coli bacteria transmissions, say researchers. Ref. Source 2d.
Computer model is 'crystal ball' for E. Coli bacteria
It's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future, and even more so when they involve the reactions of living cells -- huge numbers of genes, proteins and enzymes, embedded in complex pathways and feedback loops. Yet researchers are attempting just that, building a computer model that predicts the behavior of a single cell of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Ref. Source 5p.
'Superbugs' study reveals complex picture of E. Coli bloodstream infections. The first large-scale genetic study of Escherichia coli (E. Coli) cultured from patients with bloodstream infections in England showed that drug resistant 'superbugs' don't always out-compete other strains. Research has shown that new types of E. Coli occur frequently, but unlike in some other infections, drug-resistant strains do not become a dominant cause of infection.