Fresno E. coli outbreak update #2

Health officials have identified two additional people who tested positive for E. coli and may be part of the recent outbreak traced to private gatherings held in the Fresno area.

Investigators are tracking down everyone who attended three private parties where tainted food might have been served.

Officials need to know what the people ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past week, said David Luchini, division manager of communicable diseases for the Fresno County Community Health Department. He did not have an estimate on how long the interviews would take.

E. coli O157:H7 can cause a complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.  HUS occurs in 5-10 percent of E. coli patients, and can cause damage to the kidneys, brain, pancreas, and central nervous system.
 

Fresno E. coli outbreak update

KFSN-TV reported that health officials are investigating 20 reported E. coli cases - 16 from the same source - in an outbreak that apparently began after two graduation parties on May 19.

Food from the same Fresno market was served at both graduation parties.

A number of food sources are under scrutiny, but the parties were catered by the same company, said Tim Casagrande, the county's director of environmental health.

Health workers are talking to people in attendance at two other parties held on the same day to determine if more people have become ill.
 

E. coli outbreak in Fresno

The Fresno County Health Department and Fresno County Environmental Health are looking into whether the Meat Market is the source of the E. coli outbreak that has sickened as many as 20 people so far.

The grill at the popular Meat Market in north Fresno was shut down for about an hour while county health inspectors checked the facility. Tim Casagrande, Fresno County Environmental Health says, "Our staff's gonna be looking at essentially food handling, critical points, temperatures."

 

More tips for grilling, picnics

Summer grilling season brings more awareness of E. coli contamination in ground beef and the need to properly cook hamburgers. But other foods must also be properly prepared, stored, and served to prevent foodborne illness, according to the Contra Costa Times.

Realistically, unless you have thermometers in all of your food, it will be difficult to gauge when your food is in the temperature danger zone. Therefore, the FDA recommends leaving perishable food out no longer than two hours, and for no more than one hour in temperatures above 90 degrees.

The best way to keep salads and other cold foods at the right temperature on picnics is to pack them on plenty of ice, and even put serving bowls in a pan or platter of ice.
 

This Memorial Day, Grill Safely to Prevent E. coli

With Memorial Day being the official start of grilling season, the International Food Safety Network highlights the importance of cooking foods to an internal temperature hot enough to kill pathogens like E. coli and salmonella.

Dangerous microorganisms like E. coli and salmonella cannot be sensed by sight, and will happily contaminate good cuts of meat as well as bad ones.

E. coli outbreak in New York

An E. coli outbreak may be ongoing in Montgomery and Fulton Counties in New York.

The State Health Department has confirmed that three children have tested positive for E. coli, and one has been hospitalized. Two of the children attend the same daycare, but officials are not releasing the name of that facility yet, according to WTEN TV.

It is not known how the third child became ill, but health officials say they are performing tests on some of the children attending the daycare program.

During summer months, exposure at pools and water parks has been linked to outbreaks of E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and other bacteria, parasites, and viruses.  Recently, several children became ill with E. coli infections after attending a back yard water slide party near Bakersfield, California.  In 2004, thousands of people became ill with Cryptosporidiosis after exposure to Cryptosporidium at the Seneca Lake Spraypark near Geneva, New York, and in 1998 dozens of children became ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections, including seven children who were hospitalized and one child who died, after playing in a kiddie pool at the White Water waterpark near Atlanta, Georgia.
 

Spinach - a "risky" food

A salad could be one of the riskiest foods on American tables right now, according to New York Times Op/Ed columnist Paul Krugman.

As he puts it,

These are anxious days at the lunch table. For all you know, there may be E. coli on your spinach, salmonella in your peanut butter and melamine in your pet’s food and, because it was in the feed, in your chicken sandwich.

Marler Clark clients Michael and Elizabeth Armstrong and their two daughters, Isabella and Ashley, experienced the repercussions of eating what has been deemed a "risky" food in September, when the daughters became ill from E. coli-contaminated spinach. Ashley nearly died from a complication of E. coli infection known as hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Although Ashley is home now and doing well, she remained on dialysis until December. She must take six medicines daily and has only about 25 percent kidney function. Eventually, she will need a kidney transplant, doctors say.
 

Victims of E. coli outbreaks look for answers, solutions

Marler Clark client Teresa Kaiser was recently interviewed by CNN regarding her E. coli infection.

Teresa became ill with an E. coli infection and suffered kidney failure after eating E. coli-contaminated lettuce at a Taco John's restaurant in Minnesota last November.  Although her kidney function is up to around 44 percent, Teresa now has high blood pressure.

She is looking for answers as to how the lettuce she consumed at Taco John's became contaminated, and health officials' investigation into the outbreak has been hampered since other recent outbreaks have demanded attention that would normally have been afforded to tracing back the Taco John's E. coli outbreak to its source.
 

Florida E. coli settlements

A settlement has been announced involving lawsuits filed against the Florida Strawberry Festival.

Health officials traced the 2005 E. coli outbreak to a petting zoo owned by Plant City-based Ag-Venture Farms, which had brought more than a dozen goats, sheep, cows and chickens to the Florida Strawberry Festival, the Florida State Fair in Tampa and the Central Florida Fair in Orlando.

About 50 people from six counties were sickened at the three events, and 15 filed lawsuits against the petting zoo, according to the Tampa Tribune. Those claims were resolved last year when the 15 victims shared a $1 million settlement from an insurance company representing the petting zoo.

Other suits are pending against the state fair and Central Florida Fair.
 

Food safety video

CNN is featuring a video on food safety on their Web site.  The video, which can be accessed here, focuses on how spinach fields can become contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. 

Victims of 2005 E. coli outbreak reach settlement with Strawberry Festival

Two victims of the 2005 E. coli outbreak traced to a petting zoo at the Florida Strawberry Festival have resolved claims brought against the festival last week.

Both victims, a woman and a young child, suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome and required extensive medical treatment, including dialysis, after contracting E. coli O157:H7 at the 2005 Florida Strawberry Festival.

The 2005 Florida E. coli outbreak was the 16th documented outbreak traced to animal exposure at a fair or petting zoo since 2000, including a widely publicized E. coli outbreak in North Carolina that occurred just months before.
 

New York Times focuses on E. coli, food safety

Marler Clark client Elizabeth Armstrong testified in front of the US House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in regards to food safety.

Her 2-year-old daughter, Ashley, one of more than 200 people affected by the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in spinach last year, is still dealing with the effects of kidney failure. Today she is off dialysis and home from the hospital. But she is on daily medication and will eventually need a kidney transplant, said her mother, who lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.

Armstrong suggested efforts to overhaul the US Food and Drug Administration. Her report included comments from important players in the food industry, including a quote from former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler, who stated, "Our food safety system is broken."
 

E. coli O157:H7 cases linked to ground beef purchased at Lunds or Byerly's stores since mid-April

Minnesota state health and agriculture officials are investigating seven cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in residents associated with eating ground beef purchased from Lunds or Byerly's stores.

The cases include two children and five adults. Three of the cases were hospitalized, but all have been discharged.  Marler Clark has been contacted by victims of this outbreak.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, “The stores currently involved include Byerly’s St. Louis Park, Byerly’s Minnetonka, Byerly’s Chanhassen and Lunds Edina. However, we can’t be certain that meat from other stores is not involved, since all of the beef used for ground beef for Lunds and Byerly’s stores comes from a single processing facility,” said Heidi Kassenborg, Acting Director of the Dairy and Food Inspection Division of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Ground beef that was purchased after April 7 from a Lunds or Byerly’s store, whether still in the refrigerator or freezer, should not be used, but should be discarded or returned to the store, officials said.
 

Food Safety Advocate: Barbara Kowalcyk

Barbara Kowalcyk and her husband, Michael, were propelled into food safety advocacy in 2001, when their two-year-old son, Kevin, died after suffering an E. coli O157:H7 infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Barbara served on the Board of Directors for S.T.O.P. (Safe Tables Our Priority) for several years, and recently formed the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI).

The Kowalcyks had limited knowledge of foodborne illness before their son got sick. The family lived in Wisconsin at the time. They now live in Loveland, Ohio, near Cincinnati.

"Our public health department didn't have the resources or, frankly, the desire to spend a lot of time investigating our case because it wasn't part of an outbreak," Kowalcyk said. "They did very little to help us. We only found out what we did because we contacted an attorney and he worked on our case.

Source of Bakersfield E. coli outbreak found

The Kern County Health Department issued a press release today stating that the investigation into an E. coli outbreak among several Bakersfield, California-area resident had been traced.

Early speculation about the source of the outbreak indicated that health officials were investigating potential exposure to the E. coli bacterium at a restaurant; however, the press release shows that health officials have pinpointed the exposure as happening at a water slide event.

One child is still hospitalized in fair condition, according to an article from the Bakersfield Californian.
 

Michigan E. coli recall - Update

Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is recalling approximately 129,000 pounds of beef products due to possible E. coli contamination.

The potentially contaminated meat was shipped to Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Generally, steaks are not considered a high-risk source of E. coli O157: H7. However, the steak products subject to recall were mechanically tenderized and that process may have transferred the bacteria from the surface to the inside of the product.

Meanwhile, Ukrop's, a Virginia supermarket chain, recalled beef that may be part of a larger meat recall initiated by a Minnesota company.  PM Beef Holdings recalled ground beef and trim after its products were linked to an E. coli outbreak in Minnesota.  Byerly's and Lunds stores already have recalled any potentially contaminated meat, but at least seven people became ill with E. coli before the recall was initiated.
 

E. coli victim's story told in local paper

The family of Ashley and Isabella Armstrong, 2 girls affected by E. coli infection from contaminated spinach, told the Herald Journal that one thing they would like to see come out of their ordeal and those of anyone affected by foodborne illness from contaminated food is more stringent government regulations on food safety.

Although Isabella recovered quickly from the infection, her sister Ashley suffered from hemolytic uremic syndrome and kidney failure. As a result, she had to endure blood transfusions and dialysis.

In response to the spate of recalls over the past year - from spinach to peanut butter to pet food - the House Committee on Energy and Commerce last month addressed food safety at its Oversight and Investigations subcommittee hearing.

Minnesota beef recall expands

PM Beef Holdings expanded an E. coli recall to include 117,500 pounds of beef trimmings to make ground beef yesterday. The original recall was initiated after an E. coli outbreak among Byerly's and Lunds customers in the Minneapolis area who had consumed ground beef products from the stores.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the recall comes after an E. coli outbreak that has sickened seven Twin Cities residents, who purchased and ate ground beef from either of the two stores. While those stores have already removed any potentially contaminated beef from their shelves, today's move greatly expands the scope of the recall.

The beef trimmings in question were processed on March 27 at the PM Beef Holdings plant in Windom, and the USDA said it was shipped to distributors and retail outlets in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio and Virginia.
 

Bakersfield-area E. coli outbreak investigation continues

California health officials continue their investigation into an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least a dozen people in the Bakersfield, California, area.

A common thread is a restaurant in Bakersfield, but the Kern County Health Department will not reveal its location. Health officials continued to say there is no immediate threat to the public and that is why the health department will not officially name the pizzeria.

Two of the hospitalized children have been released, and two developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome -- a condition marked by kidney failure and seen in serious foodborne illnesses -- and were transferred to hospitals outside Kern County.
 

E. coli infosheet from Food Safety Network

This week's food safety infosheet from the International Food Safety Network focuses on E. coli outbreaks in California and Minnesota.  Both outbreaks were traced to ground beef, and both are still being investigated by health officials. 
Minnesota E. coli Outbreak

E. coli outbreak in Minnesota

According to an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minnesota health officials have traced an E. coli outbreak in late April to ground beef sold at grocery several stores in Minnesota towns. 
ground beef E. coli recallThe meat was sold under a store label at the Edina Lunds, and Byerly's stores in Minnetonka, Chanhassen and St. Louis Park, according to the health department.

Five adults and two children were among those sickened. Three were treated at area hospitals. The infections were reported between April 21 and April 28, according to the health department.

State health officials added that any ground beef purchased at the stores since April 7 should be thrown out or returned to the store.
In a Minnesota Department of Health press release, "E. coli O157:H7 cases linked to ground beef purchased at Lunds or Byerly’s stores since mid-April," Heidi Kassenborg, Acting Director of the Dairy and Food Inspection Division of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture stated, "[W]e can't be certain that meat from other stores is not involved, since all of the beef used for ground beef for Lunds and Beverly's stores comes from a single procesing facility." 

While the ground beef has not been recalled, the Minnesota Department of Health is encouraging consumers to throw out or return the ground beef products to stores.
As a precautionary measure, Lunds and Byerly’s have voluntarily removed many varieties of ground beef from all of their stores and are cooperating fully with the investigation.

Lunds and Byerly’s customers are urged to return or destroy fresh ground beef purchased at any of their stores since April 7, 2007. This includes ground beef purchased fresh then frozen at home. It includes fresh beef patties, fresh or frozen meatloaf and ground chili meat. Customers should return the ground beef to any Lunds or Byerly’s immediately for a full refund. (A receipt is not required.)

California kindergarteners sick with possible E. coli

The Bakersfield Californian reported today that at least four children have become ill with symptoms of E. coli infection, and have been hospitalized - two with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).  Health officials are continuing their investigation into the apparent outbreak, and are assessing potential common exposures the children may have had.  According to the article, "At this point, all that's known is that the four children, who know one another from school or play dates, suffered bloody diarrhea after attending several parties and playing at a local park."

KGET reported
that seven children had been counted as being part of the potential outbreak:
[S]ix kindergardners are sick, some of them hospitalized with the sometimes fatal disease.

An eighth student is a 10-year-old relative of of one of the kindergarders.
HUS develops when the toxin from E. coli bacteria, known as Shiga-like toxin (SLT) [1,2], enters the circulation by binding to special receptors. These Shiga-toxin receptors, known as Gb3 receptors [1], are probably heterogeneously distributed in the major body organs allowing disparate thrombotic (blood clotting) impacts in different HUS victims, although the greatest receptor concentration appears to be in the kidneys, especially in children. As the inflammatory reaction process accelerates, red blood cells are destroyed and cellular debris aggregates within the microvasculature while the body’s inherent clot breaking mechanisms are disrupted. The result is formation of microthrombi within particularly susceptible organs such as the kidneys and brain. Because there exists no way to halt the progression of HUS, doctors are left to support the HUS victim while the acute process runs its course.

E. coli video Some organs appear more susceptible than others to the damage caused by these toxins, possibly due to the presence of increased numbers of toxin-receptors. These organs include the kidney, pancreas, and brain.  An animated video of how E. coli attaches to the intestinal wall and releases shiga-toxins, causing infection, is available at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Web site.


[1]  Recent research suggests that E. coli O157:H7 acquired its pathological character when a bacteriophage (virus that infects bacteria) transmitted genetic material for the creation of the toxin from a closely related Shigella bacterial species (hence the epithet, Shiga-like toxin) to a formerly benign species of E. coli.

[2]  Verotoxin-globotriaosyl ceramide binding receptors.

Snack Shacks quit serving burgers

After an E. coli outbreak that sickened at least three children, St. Helena Little League will no longer serve hamburgers at concession stands during games.

The Napa Valley Register reported that Jim Gamble, president of St. Helena Little League, said the organization's snack shacks now serve only pre-packaged and pre-cooked food. "The resolution was passed in early April. ... (The children's infection) was an isolated incident and we received contaminated beef. Unfortunately, these children got sick from it. We're all very grateful they've fully recovered. It was scary."

Gamble said the three confirmed reports of E. coli were in children between the ages of 8 and 12.
 

Maine beef producer recalls meat for potential E. coli contamination

The Maine Department of Agriculture announced that Bubier Meats is recalling meat products for potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Products subject to the recall are:

  • 2 whole sides of beef carcasses-736 lbs stamped “Est. 4”
  • 45 plastic cryovac bags @ 10 lbs-450 lbs of beef labeled Bubier Meats “Hamburg”
  • 30 plastic cryovac bags @ 10 lbs-300 lbs of ground beef labeled “Caldwell Farms Beef All Natural Beef”
  • * 450 lbs of beef primal cuts labeled “Caldwell Farms Beef All Natural Beef”

Plant officials said the recall was related not to E. coli contamination, but to paperwork issues.  However, the Knox County Times reports that Hal Prince, director of the Department of Agriculture's division of Quality Assurance and Regulation, said that while paperwork is one concern, an inspector found contamination.

“In doing a preprocessing inspection, the inspector found fecal contamination on equipment,” said Prince.”Half of the suspect product was still in the freezer, but half had been shipped already so we sought the recall as a matter of safety.”
 

Are E. coli vaccines the answer?

A vaccine is being produced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is designed to prevent E. coli infection in humans, according to the New York Times. A vaccine is also being produced by Bionishe, a Canadian company, that is designed to reduce the number of E. coli bacteria shed in cattle feces.

Although vaccines produced by NIH and Bioniche may prove effective in their purposes, it may prove to be cost-prohibitive for the general public and the meat industry to adopt widespread use of either vaccine.  Beyond that, experts in the food safety field are skeptical about whether vaccines are the most effective solution to the problem of E. coli contamination.  And bacteriophages, which are an alternative to vaccines, are not touted as the answer by food safety experts, either.

Researchers at Washington State University and the University of Idaho have combined their efforts to develop a fresh produce wash - termed FIT - that is more effective in killing E. coli and other pathogenic contamination on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Currently most produce is washed in a chlorine source, either from bleach or from chlorine dioxide. However, these chemical compounds quickly deactivate and become ineffective in very dirty water, such as a potato or spinach flume. FIT's commercial produce wash helps overcome that problem when washing fresh cut and other processed produce. The ingredients in FIT, specifically its natural surfactants, act as "wetting agents" which are designed to lift off and kill the pathogens even in very dirty water. FIT is able to get into "nooks and crannies" that other washing systems may not and continues to keep killing bacteria via its patented surfactant technology.