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

As many as 50 people are now sickened by E. coli O145 in an outbreak linked to Ohio, Michigan and New York. There are 18 lab-confirmed cases of E. coli O145 in the three states, and 32 people whose illnesses are thought to be related to the outbreak, but whose stool tests are still pending.

The Michigan E. coli O145 cases have occurred in Washtenaw County, which includes Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, and the Ohio part of the outbreak has been confined to Columbus at The Ohio State. New York cases are linked to the E. coli O145 outbreak in Michigan and Ohio.  The New York cases appear to be college students attending Daemen College in Buffalo, New York. It is thought that as many as 11 people at Daemen College, or in the general area, have been sickened with E. coli O145 in the outbreak.

Never hear of E. coli O145 before? – click our Petition to the FSIS to see why not. And, we have found E. coli O145 in hamburger - "PREVALENCE OF NON-O157 ENTEROHAEMMORRHAGIC ESCHERICHIA COLI IN RETAIL GROUND BEEF IN THE UNITED STATES," but it is still to early to say if this outbreak is hamburger or some leafy green - like lettuce.  Time will tell.

The following press release was issued by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2010 – Beltex Corporation, a Fort Worth, Texas, establishment, is recalling approximately 135,500 pounds of beef trim products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following products are subject to recall:

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF TRIMMING 50/50"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF COMBO BNLS"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF COMBO TRIM 75/25"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF 115A BNLS CHUCK 2PCS"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF B-90 TRIMMINGS 91-CTRN"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF TRIM XF SOAKED AND SALTED"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF COMBO TRIM 85/15"

Various pound boxes of "FRONTIER MEATS BEEF COMBO BONELESS NAVEL"

E. coli O157:H7 in beef products raised concerns about the safety of the product.  FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these recalled products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.  E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.  FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers (including restaurants) of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

WinCo Foods announced today that it is issuing an expansion of the Class 1 recall on all fresh ground beef products sold at all WinCo Foods stores: The original recall issued on April 10, 2010 was for ground beef sold from it's Modesto store only.

Originally an independent lab had tested two samples of ground beef purchased at the Modesto, California store to be positive for E. coli 0157:H7 (a bacterium that causes food borne illness) and out of concern for the health of our customers and our ongoing commitment to provide only safe, quality products, WinCo Foods decided it was appropriate to issue a recall for the Modesto store.

As WinCo has cooperated with public health authorities, new information has come to light that potentially implicates WinCo's ground beef suppliers. Acting on the advice of the California Department of Public Health and consistent with the ongoing investigation by USDA, WinCo is expanding its voluntary recall to include all fresh ground beef sold at any WinCo Foods store. A list of all WinCo Foods store locations follows in this announcement.

The product under recall is all fresh ground beef packed in styrofoam trays with a sale date of March 28, 2010 through April 9, 2010. Product should either be returned to the store for refund or be destroyed. No illnesses have been confirmed to date in connection with this recall.

E. coli 0157:H7 causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults can recover within a week. Young children and the elderly are at highest risk for developing HUS, which can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

Individuals who have eaten fresh ground beef purchased from any WinCo Foods store between March 28, 2010 and April 9, 2010 and who have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illness should be reported to the state or local health authorities. WinCo recommends checking the FDA website for further information and answers concerning food borne illness and food safety.

The Hawaii Health Department closed Peppa's on last Thursday after seven people were diagnosed with E. coli infections between March 2 and 23. Four of them had eaten at Peppa's. Four of the seven were hospitalized, with one still in the hospital yesterday, said Larry Lau, deputy director for environmental health.

Most E. coli illnesses are the result of eating contaminated food or undercooked ground beef and can be accompanied by diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Most people recover without treatment, but those with existing health issues can develop a more severe illness.

Lau said state inspectors suspected Peppa's because those who had fallen ill ate there. Food-handling violations also were cited in January and during the investigation.