HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- All meat samples taken from five markets in Vietnam's five localities have been heavily infected with E.coli, a kind of intestinal bacteria, the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City said Tuesday.
The institute took 150 samples of pork, chicken and duck in Ho Chi Minh City, and Ba Ria Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai provinces from April and August, and all of them had E.coli with amounts exceeding permissible levels.
Besides, many samples of shellfish, including clams and oysters, in the five localities contained too many E.coli.
According to the institute's researchers, the key reason for the E.coli infection included poor hygiene of slaughterhouses, and food semi-processing and selling facilities.
Escherichia coli, also known as E.coli, is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.
Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in their hosts, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls due to food contamination.
Certain kinds of E.coli can cause infection and severe symptoms like diarrhea and dehydration.
