E. coli Blog - Surveillance & analysis on e. coli news & outbreaks

WTVC today reported that an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Tennessee has been traced to a restaurant in Hixson.

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department reports seven of the eight cases of E. coli might have come from the Ryan’s Family Steak House on north Hixson Pike in Hixson.

Since the outbreak, the health department has inspected and cleaned the restaurant. Follow-up visits have been satisfactory, and no employee has tested positive for E. coli. One employee refused testing, and resigned instead.

Although there is no confirmed link to the restaurant, all of the infected patients had eaten there prior to getting ill. The CHCHD’s investigation, plus one by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, still continue.
 

In an unprecedented effort to monitor the Salinas Valley lettuce industry, federal regulators announced Thursday they will inspect local fields, coolers and packing plants starting Monday, reports the Monterey Herald.

The inspections are part of a multi-year Food and Drug Administration safety initiative created to tackle reoccurring E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks connected to leafy greens in recent years. It is the only lettuce-growing area in the country to be inspected.

Joining FDA representatives during the field and plant visits in Monterey County will be inspectors from the California Department of Health Services and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

A team of three inspectors from each agency will call growers and processors before they arrive, giving them a chance to alert their key food safety employees, who will show the regulators around their fields and inside their facilities. The growers, harvesters and packers also will fill out questionnaires detailing their practices.

Prior to these new inspections, the FDA has only inspected local processing plants on surprise visits.

While the source of the E. coli bacteria has remained elusive, more than 400 people have been sickened and two people have died after eating contaminated products since 1995, according to the FDA.

FDA officials told local growers and agricultural trade representatives about the coming inspections at a food safety summit in Salinas on Thursday. The meeting was closed to the media.
 

The Minnesota Department of Health is focusing its investigation into an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak on a Nebraska meat packer, according to a story from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Although the beef was ground by a local grocery store, the source of the E. coli contamination probably came from the meat processing plant in Nebraska.

The store that sold the E. coli-contaminated meat receives meat from an Albert Lea distributor that gets its supply from four different meat processors. The processors operate at least eight different slaughterhouses.

The Albert Lea distributor does not have records on the source of the meat that it shipped to the Longville grocery store.
 

Federal and state regulators, researchers and lettuce industry representatives are scheduled to meet in Salinas for a foodborne illness outbreak summit, reports the Monterey Herald.

Organized by the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at the University of California-Davis, the meeting will focus in part on how investigations of leafy green-related outbreaks can be improved and what areas of research could help prevent outbreaks.

Scheduled speakers at the meeting include Dr. Robert Brackett, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, representatives for the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and the Western Growers Association.

Since 1995, 19 outbreaks of E.coli O157:H7, involving 409 individuals who became ill and two others who died, have been connected to fresh lettuce and pre-cut lettuce and spinach, according to the FDA. In eight of those outbreaks, the produce came from Salinas.
 

A woman from Longville, Minnesota, who apparently ate contaminated food at a church supper, has become the first Minnesotan recorded as dying of E. coli complications in at least three and a half years, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Services will be held today for Carolyn Hawkinson, right, 73, at Salem Lutheran Church in Longville, where the meal was served July 19.

Hawkinson, who died Sunday after nearly a month in hospitals, had helped set up for the church supper the day before it was held, her daughter said.

In the past six weeks, E. coli has sickened at least 17 people and perhaps as many as 30 around Longville, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Tuesday. Nine people were hospitalized, including Hawkinson and one other with serious complications.
 

The State Fair of Texas announced that its much-loved petting zoo will return to the fairgrounds this year. The attraction, which had been part of the fair for at least four decades, was axed last year because of insurance restrictions, according to The Dallas Morning News.

State Fair officials changed insurance companies last year, and their new insurer required a higher deductible for petting zoos. Although they tried to work the problem out before opening day, fair officials decided to cancel the Children's Medical Center Barnyard at the last minute because of the increased cost. This year, the fair has returned to its original insurance broker.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that E. coli triggered outbreaks of illnesses from petting zoos in 2004 and 2005 in North Carolina, Florida and Arizona.

Jeff Bender, an associate professor in veterinary public health at the University of Minnesota, said hand washing is the most important step for preventing transmission of E. coli and other harmful organisms at petting zoos.

Fair officials have decided to push the hygiene issue with visitors. They're increasing the number of signs and hand-sanitizing stations in both the petting zoo and the livestock areas. No food, drinks or pacifiers will be allowed in the petting zoo, and a public address message will remind visitors every few minutes to clean their hands. Volunteers inside the zoo will repeat the advice, and electronic signs at the fairgrounds will also flash warnings.
 

E. coli outbreaks have been found twice in Utah in recent weeks; once in North Ogden and once in Hyrum. The Hyrum outbreak infected five people; health officials weren't able to identify the source, reports Heidi Toth of the Utah Daily Herald.

The North Ogden outbreak, resolved earlier this week, originated from contaminated lettuce in a Wendy's restaurant. Three people in that outbreak ended up with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be life-threatening and leave permanent damage.

Fortunately, said Terry Beebe, director for environmental health at the Utah County Health Department, good food handling, lots of hand washing and taking precautions can minimize the risk. Outbreaks can happen, and do; the last one in Utah County was several years ago at the state Developmental Center in American Fork.

About 73,000 Americans get sick and 61 die every year from infections caused by the bacteria, which can be spread in a number of ways, including when infected ground beef is not fully cooked or when it comes into contact with other food, when raw milk is infected by cow manure or equipment, when sewage gets into water supplies or swimming pools or when feces gets on a person's hands who then handles food without washing. There are a number of different strains; the most common of the infecting types is O157:H7.

The health department has a number of procedures in place to avoid outbreaks, including semiannual inspections of every restaurant in the county and more if there's reason to suspect a problem. Utah County implemented a no-bare-hand-contact policy about a year ago among restaurants to minimize the possibility. Health inspectors also check were the food is coming from, that dishes and countertops are being properly washed and food is cooked to the proper temperatures.

People also need to be aware of the E. coli risk in their homes. Beebe advises lots of hand-washing while cooking, knowing where the food came from and keeping kitchen implements clean. He emphasized that since most transmissions of the bacteria were fecal to oral, washing hands, while not perfect, was a good way to minimize risk.
 

An E. coli outbreak at a day camp caused several children and staff members to be hospitalized and the camp to be shut down temporarily, reports NorthJersey.com.

There were seven confirmed and seven probable cases of E. coli infection originating at the Palisades Country Day Camp & School, said Donna Leusner, spokeswoman for state Department of Health and Senior Services. Most of the patients are 5-year-old girls.

The Palisades Country Camp & School is for children ages 3 to 6. The campus includes a heated swimming pool, a petting zoo and a playground.

A representative from Hackensack University Medical Center said that two children with a confirmed diagnosis and one adult with a pending diagnosis related to the outbreak are being treated at the hospital.

The camp closed voluntarily Wednesday and plans to reopen Monday. State health officials are running tests to find the source of the outbreak.
 

15 cases of E. coli infection have been reported in the Longville area to the Minnesota Department of Health, according to The Pilot-Independent.

Of those, four people tested positive for the E. coli strain O157:H7. As of Friday, at least two people were hospitalized in what MDH spokesperson Doug Schultz termed as a "relatively serious condition."

MDH has determined that most, but not all of the cases have an association with a July 19 potluck at Salem Lutheran Church in Longville. At least three individuals did not attend the potluck.

"We are still investigating a number of other events and are looking at other possibilities," Schultz stated. "It may be that we won't be able to determine a single source. We just want to make sure there isn't a source out there that would pose an ongoing public health risk."

Pastor John Monson of Salem Lutheran Church said MDH is still conducting interviews to determine common links for the outbreak.

"Our congregation is concerned about the health of our community and is doing whatever possible to assist the MDH in their research," Monson stressed. "Since the MDH inquiry is ongoing, we can only wait for their conclusions and hope that their discoveries may help prevent future outbreaks.

Just to be on the safe side, Salem Lutheran Church decided to cancel its August smorgasbord, had its water supply checked, and its food service area double-checked.
 

Last year, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report encouraging venues where the public has contact with animals, such as fairs and petting zoos, to adopt standards, saying that "inadequate understanding of disease transmission and animal behavior can lead to infectious diseases, rabies exposures, injuries and other health problems among visitors, especially children, in these settings."

The single most important step to reduce risk is to have visitors wash their hands, says the Ventura County Star.

Hand washing is nothing new at the Ventura County Fair, which has washing stations at the entrances and exits to the animal areas. This year, however, McGuire said she's increasing the number of signs encouraging people to wash their hands.

She's also hoping to encourage people not to bring food into the animal areas, although that is not yet a requirement.

"We're not that strict yet," she said. "There are some fairs that don't allow food at all into the animal areas."

The CDC recommends that food and beverages not be allowed in animal areas.

"In addition," the CDC report states, "smoking, carrying toys, and use of pacifiers, spill-proof cups and baby bottles should not be permitted in animal areas."
 

Drinking raw (untreated) milk or eating raw milk products is "like playing Russian roulette with your health," says John Sheehan, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Division of Dairy and Egg Safety. "We see a number of cases of foodborne illness every year related to the consumption of raw milk."

More than 300 people in the United States got sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk in 2001, and nearly 200 became ill from these products in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Raw milk may harbor a host of disease-causing organisms such as campylobacter, escherichia coli, listeria, salmonella, yersinia, and brucella. Common symptoms of foodborne illness from many of these types of bacteria include diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, headache, vomiting, and exhaustion.

In pregnant women, Listeria can result in miscarriage, fetal death, or illness or death of a newborn infant. Escherichia coli infection has been linked to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can cause kidney failure and death.

It is a violation of federal law enforced by the FDA to sell raw milk packaged for consumer use across state lines. But each state regulates the sale of raw milk within their state, and some states allow it to be sold. This means that in some states, dairy operations may sell it to local retail food stores, or to consumers directly from the farm or at agricultural fairs or other community events, depending on the state law.
 

An E. coli outbreak in North Ogden has health department officials pointing fingers at a Wendy's fast-food restaurant.

It happened in June when some three hundred educators were attending a conference at a junior high in Harrisville, where for one day, Wendy's provided the food. The health department investigation concluded that iceberg lettuce from Wendy's was the common denominator in three confirmed cases and a number of other unconfirmed cases.

A Wendy's representative told ABC 4 News, "We are very saddened that apparently people got sick eating the lettuce from one of our restaurants. When situations arise we will always do the right thing for our customers."

Gwen Hadley with the Weber Morgan Health Department told ABC 4 News one of the victims became so ill she couldn't speak. However, officials say the illnesses and infections have run their course and there is no risk of further infection.
 

According to the Deseret Morning News, the Bear River Health Department cannot say for certain what caused a spate of recent E. coli cases in northern Utah, although it's pretty sure that two of the five cases were not related to the other three.

Everyone has recovered in the town of Hyrum, there have been no new recent cases and the department is now warning residents to take precautions against foodborne and waterborne illness, since both paths have come under suspicion.

A few of the patients had shared events that led to their illness, but not all patients shared similar stories. Health officials found a possible but unprovable connection in the water supply to the subdivision where the patients lived.

However, since the water theory cannot be proven, officials are left with reminding residents to wash vegetables and fruits, cook meats properly and not allow cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked foods and surfaces. They are also pushing good hand-washing hygiene and avoiding direct exposure to backyard secondary water, especially among kids, such as playing in sprinklers or filling wading pools, playing in gutters and more.
 

A Lubbock meat packer is voluntarily recalling more than 13,000 pounds of ground beef after federal inspectors found that the meat may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

Plains Meat Company sent the beef to restaurants and distributors in Amarillo and Lubbock.

The US Department of Agriculture says the potential hazard was discovered through routine testing.

There have been no reports of illness.
 

The South Dakota Department of Health has said that the 16 cases of E. coli 0157:H7 in the state by late July this year was an increase compared to the 13 cases by late July 2005.

The increase underscores a need for consumers to be reminded of how to guard themselves against foodborne illnesses, says the Vermillion Plain Talk.

SDSU Extension Food Safety Specialist Joan Hegerfeld offers these tips to keep foodborne illnesses at bay:
 

• Change your wiping cloth or your dish cloth at least daily, or more often if you've recently used it for wiping up some raw meat, poultry or fish juices from your countertop.
• Reduce handling of raw product which increases the chance for cross-contamination.
• Consider buying your foods ready to be cooked, such as ground beef patties that are preshaped and ready to grill.
• Store foods wisely. If the raw meat product is in the same cooler as your beverages, put them in a sealed, tight container and place them on the bottom of your cooler. Ideally, you should use two different coolers, one for your raw meat products and one for your ready-to-eat foods and beverages.
• Use the same principle in your kitchen refrigerator: The raw meat foods should be on the bottom shelf in a container that will not allow the juices to drip on ready-to-eat foods.
• Consider who's doing the cooking. Be sure those preparing the food know the risks involved with cross-contamination. If teenagers are preparing their own food, you may want to encourage foods that involve less preparation and handling unless you are home with them to monitor and teach them food handling practices.
• Washing of raw meat products, chicken and fish is not necessary. However, if you choose to wash your raw meat products before preparing for cooking be sure to clean and sanitize the sink and preparation area when you are finished.
• Wash fruits and vegetables just before eating (not when purchased, picked or stored). Running water with rubbing or brushing is best. Don't use bleach or dish soap. They will leave a residue and in many instances enter the food itself.
• When finished preparing foods that have raw meat juices, clean and sanitize the preparation area. It's important to clean first, then sanitize. This keeps the chlorine molecules from being tied up with organic matter, so it is available to destroy the bacteria and parasites.
• Chlorine bleach is a good sanitizing solution for a wiping cloth in the kitchen. Use 100 parts per million or 1 tablespoon for 2 gallons of water. Do not use the ultra bleach for this dilution. The water temperature should be between 75 degrees and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a spray bottle, use 1 teaspoon per quart of water.
   

The N.C. Board of Agriculture has announced that they have approved rules governing animal exhibitions at agricultural fairs.

The rules are aimed at reducing the risk of diseases being transmitted from animals to people. The regulations were required under Aedin's Law, which the General Assembly enacted last year.

"Animals are an important part of any agricultural fair, and these rules will help protect fairgoers as they interact with animals at these events," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

The requirements include hand-washing facilities, a barrier between animal bedding and patrons to reduce contact with manure, increased signage warning of the risks associated with animal contact, and a prohibition on certain items, such as food, drinks, strollers and pacifiers, in animal areas.

The rules are based on guidelines developed by the department and state public health officials and used voluntarily by agricultural fairs last year.

The rules are scheduled to take effect on September 1.
 

Consumers should only eat ground beef patties that have been cooked to a safe temperature of 160 degrees F, reminds infoZine. When a ground beef patty is cooked to 160 degrees F throughout, it can be safe and juicy, regardless of color.

The only way to be sure a ground beef patty is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use an accurate food thermometer. Color is not a reliable indicator that ground beef patties have been cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7.

Eating a pink or red ground beef patty without first verifying that the safe temperature of 160 degrees F has been reached is a significant risk factor for foodborne illness.

Thermometer use to ensure proper cooking temperature is especially important for those who cook or serve ground beef patties to people most at risk for foodborne illness because E. coli O157:H7 can lead to serious illness or even death. Those most at risk include young children, seniors, and those with compromised immune systems.