State health officials complained Friday that the Agriculture Department has left them to their own devices in the fight against salmonella enteritidis, a potentially fatal form of bacteria found in raw or undercooked eggs. ``The absence of a coordinated federal response has left states with no alternative but to take strong action to protect their citizens from contaminated food often produced in other states,'' John J. Guzewich of the New York State Health Department told a congressional oversight panel. Robert Flentge of the Illinois Public Health Department complained about ``mixed signals at the federal level'' and interference with his department. A.B. Park of the Maryland Agriculture Department said state officials began tracing eggs and testing chickens while federal officials were debating whether salmonellosis is a poultry disease. The witnesses appeared before the oversight and investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The panel's chairman, Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., alleged that the Agriculture Department was late in recognizing the growing number of outbreaks traced to the bacteria and withheld information from the Food and Drug Administration, which also regulates the food supply. Poisoning from the enteritidis form of salmonella has been increasing steadily since 1982 and is most likely to be fatal among the very old, the very young and others whose immune systems are weak, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency says the increase is directly related to contamination of Grade A eggs that are eaten raw or undercooked. Infection has been spread through scrambled, poached and over-easy eggs, as well as in home-made ice cream, cole slaw, sauces and dressings. Since 1985, there have been 217 outbreaks responsible for 7,370 cases of infection. Of those cases, 44 resulted in death, CDC says. Health officials say tracing the food poisoning to a particular flock is by nature difficult and is made more difficult by the lack of effective regulation. Even an infected flock may produce only one contaminated egg in 1,000, said Dr. Robert Tauxe of the Centers for Disease Control. Testing all chickens before allowing their eggs to be shipped is also impossible for now, he said. Organ cultures are required to find the bacteria. The problem can become worse when the eggs reach a restaurant, nursing home or institution, said Tauxe. One contaminated egg can contaminate a bowl of 500, he said. The state officials complained that federal inspections are limited to brood hens that produce the laying hens, even though environmental contamination remains a real risk. They also complained that no recall provision exists for eggs that have reached the market, and that no effective way exists for tracing eggs.
