The Following outlets were identified today by JBS Swift and FSIS:
Price Chopper
Hannaford
Stop & Shop
Food 4 Less
Fry's
Smith's
Costco
Sams Club
Kroger
SAV a Lot
Knight Super Foods #4
Weldon's Meat Market
Jasper Mercantile
Keeney's Food Mart
Sweetbay
All DAY AM PM MART
Hobby's Hoagies Produce
SHRTN HTL Produce
Giant
Several state health departments, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. On June 24, FSIS issued a notice about a recall of 41,280 pounds of beef products from JBS Swift Beef Company that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. On June 28, the recall was expanded to include 380,000 pounds of assorted pieces of beef (beef primal products) from the same company. Health officials in several states who were investigating reports of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses found that most ill persons had consumed ground beef, and many reported that it was undercooked. At least some of the illnesses appear to be associated with products subject to these recalls. Samples from unopened packages of ground beef recovered from a patient's home were tested by the Michigan Public Health Laboratory yielded an E. coli O157:H7 isolate that matched the "DNA fingerprint" of the outbreak strain.
Twenty three persons infected with a strain of E. coli O157:H7 with a particular "DNA fingerprint" have been reported from 9 states. Of these, 17 have been confirmed by an advanced DNA test as having the outbreak strain; confirmatory tests are pending on others. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: California (4), Maine (1), Michigan (6), Minnesota (1), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), New York (1) and Wisconsin (6).
Most ill persons reported consumption of ground beef, and many reported that it was undercooked. Ground beef with the outbreak strain was obtained from the home of one person infected with that strain. The first reported illness began on April 2, 2009, and the last began on June 13, 2009. Among 17 ill persons for whom hospitalization status is known, 12 (70%) were hospitalized. Two patients developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported. Of patients with available information, 14 (64%) were male and 59% are less than 19 years old (range 2 to 74 years).
Most of the beef packages in the first recall bear the establishment number "Est. 969" inside the USDA mark of inspection and have identifying package dates of "042109" or "042209." Consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers for beef products produced by this firm and purchased on or after April 21, 2009 and discard or return the recalled beef products to the place of purchase for a refund. The pieces of beef (primal beef products) in the expanded recall were produced on April 21, 2009, and were distributed nationally and internationally. Boxes of these pieces of beef bear the establishment number "EST. 969" inside the USDA mark of inspection, the identifying package date of "042109," and a time stamp ranging from "0618" to "1130." These pieces of beef were sold to retail stores nationwide after April 21, 2009, and some was probably cut again or made into ground beef, then re-packaged, so packages purchased by consumers may not have identifying information. Customers with questions about the source of a package of beef should contact the place where they purchased it (e.g., grocery store, club store, or meat market).
Federal food safety officials are on the ground at the Danville, VA plant (see picture on right) that made the recalled Nestle's cookie dough, the Washington Post reported this morning.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is trying to solve the mystery of why and how a bacteria found in the gut of a cow found its way into raw cookie dough, causing a national E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak. From the WP:
Health officials and food producers puzzled yesterday over how E. coli 0157, a bacterium that lives in the intestines of cattle, could have ended up in a product that seems so unlikely to contain it. "It's a fascinating outbreak," said Craig Hedberg, an expert on food-borne diseases at the University of Minnesota. "By just looking at package labeling, there is no reason you would expect an event like this to occur."
The outbreak, which has sickened at least 65 people in 29 states, is the latest worry for consumers in the Washington area and across the country unnerved by a wave of food-borne illnesses, including botulism associated with canned chili and infections from salmonella linked to peanut products. With cookie dough, like peanut butter, being a favorite of children, the latest outbreak is particularly alarming because the young and the elderly are more likely to develop severe complications if infected with E. coli 0157. More than two-thirds of the 65 victims are younger than 19, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. None has died.
The same article raises Nestle's warning not to eat raw cookie dough. But then reports: William Marler, a prominent food safety lawyer in Seattle who is representing six of the E. coli 0157 victims, said Nestlé's warning label is not a defense. "It doesn't absolve them of liability," he said.
Read more in the Washington Post.
It's rare that an "FDA Medwatch" is about food. Usually, such alerts are for medical professionals and address something having to do with drugs or medical devices. The national E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak associated with Nestle's cookie dough, however, is very unusual and this FDA Medwatch has been issued for both consumers and all healthcare professionals:
FDA and the CDC are warning consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that causes food borne illness). The warning is based on an ongoing epidemiological study conducted by the CDC and several state and local health departments. Since March 2009 there have been 66 reports of illness across 28 states. Twenty-five persons were hospitalized; 7 with a severe complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). No one has died.E. coli O157:H7 causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and a diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults can recover completely 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.
FDA advises that if consumers have any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their home that they throw them away. Cooking the dough is not recommended because consumers might get the bacteria on their hands and on other cooking surfaces. Individuals who have recently eaten prepackaged, refrigerated Toll House cookie dough and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.
Please continue reading for the outbreak map, including a case-breakdown by state, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Danville News just put this report on its website:
Nestle USA has stopped production in half of its Danville, VA plant following a Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration investigation that the company’s cookie dough may be connected to a recent E. coli outbreak. “The Danville facility makes the majority of our Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough,” said Roz O’Hearn, spokeswoman for the company. The Danville plant also makes refrigerated pasta, which has not been connected to the E. coli outbreak. Workers will still produce the pasta, but the company is anticipating temporary layoffs for the workers who make the cookie dough in Danville, O’Hearn said. No other Toll House products are affected by the recall. Officials are asking those with the Toll House refrigerated cookie dough to throw it out or take it back to the store for a refund.
Following Bill Marler's exclusive last night on his personal blog, the State of Colorado, and Toll House Cookies, the federal government just issued this release on the Toll House Cookie crisis:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that causes food borne illness).
The FDA advises that if consumers have any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their home that they throw them away. Cooking the dough is not recommended because consumers might get the bacteria on their hands and on other cooking surfaces.
Retailers, restaurateurs, and personnel at other food-service operations should not sell or serve any Nestle Toll House prepackaged, refrigerated cookie dough products subject to the recall.
Nestle USA, which manufactures and markets the Toll House cookie dough, is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation by the FDA and CDC. The warning is based on an ongoing epidemiological study conducted by the CDC and several state and local health departments. Since March 2009 there have been 66 reports of illness across 28 states. Twenty-five persons were hospitalized; 7 with a severe complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). No one has died.
E. coli O157:H7 causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and a diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults can recover completely 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 recently eaten prepackaged, refrigerated Toll House cookie dough and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.
The FDA reminds consumers they should not eat raw food products that are intended for cooking or baking before consumption. Consumers should use safe food-handling practices when preparing such products, including following package directions for cooking at proper temperatures; washing hands, surfaces, and utensils after contact with these types of products; avoiding cross contamination; and refrigerating products properly.
On the heels of the warning Colorado issued about Nestle Toll House cookies, the company issued the following press release:
(SOLON, Ohio) – June 19th, 2009 – Nestlé USA’s Baking Division is initiating a voluntary recall of Nestlé® TOLL HOUSE® refrigerated cookie dough products.
Nestlé is taking this action out of an abundance of caution after being notified that the Food and Drug Administration, together with the Centers for Disease Control, are conducting an investigation into reported E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses that may be related to consumption of raw cookie dough.
A number of consumers reporting illness reported consuming raw Nestlé TOLL HOUSE refrigerated cookie dough. While the E. coli strain implicated in this investigation has not been detected in our product, the health and safety of our consumers is paramount so we are initiating this voluntary recall.
We have been and will continue to cooperate fully with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control in this investigation. Providing safe, high quality products to our consumers is our number one priority.
No other Nestlé TOLL HOUSE products are impacted, including already baked TOLL HOUSE cookies purchased outside the home, all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE morsels, chocolate baking bars, or cocoa, and Dreyer’s and Edy’s ice cream products with Nestlé TOLL HOUSE cookie dough ingredients.
We want to strongly advise consumers that raw cookie dough should not be eaten. This message also appears prominently on our packaging. Nestlé TOLL HOUSE cookies made from refrigerated dough are safe to consume when baked as directed on the package.
Consumers who have purchased these products should not consume them. Instead, we are asking that consumers return these products to their local grocer for a full refund. We invite consumers with questions to contact Nestlé Consumer Services at 1-800-559-5025 and visit our web site at www.verybestbaking.com.
The products involved in the voluntary recall include all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub; Cookie Dough Tube; Limited Edition Cookie Dough items; Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough. Variety information is included in the list attached.
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DENVER--The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is urging Coloradans not to eat raw Nestle Toll House cookie dough because of possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7.
Colorado state health officials, the CDC and several other state health departments are investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. To date, 66 cases from 28 states have been identified. Preliminary evidence from the multi-state investigation suggests that Nestle Toll House cookie dough may be the source of the outbreak, although further investigation is ongoing.
Five cases have been reported in Colorado in the following counties: Denver, Douglas (2), Jefferson and Weld. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and one has developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Of the four people interviewed so far by the state health department, all had consumed the raw cookie dough during the week before they became ill.
Alicia Cronquist, the foodborne disease epidemiologist at the state health department, said, “We can’t be certain that raw cookie dough is the source of these infections, but we are concerned enough that it might be and want consumers to be aware.”
Daniel Rifkin, Wholesale Food Program manager for the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Consumer Protection Division, said, “Nestle is currently evaluating what actions they will take regarding their product. In the meantime, it is important that consumers do not eat or use raw Nestle Toll House cookie dough for now. If you decide to use the product, ensure that the cookies are cooked thoroughly and wash your hands well after handling the raw dough. More information will be forthcoming.”
Over the last few weeks we have been investigating E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in several states. All seemed unconnected. However, common food items were uncooked Nestles Toll House Cookie Dough, Strawberries, Fruit Roll-ups and Ground Beef. The vast majority reported eating Toll House Cookies.
We now have reports that federal, state and local health officials are investigating a cluster of at least 66 cases of E. coli O157:H7 in 28 states. Reports indicate the ill people's E. coli O157:H7 isolates share a common genetic pattern and likely a common source.
The link appears to have been made to Nestles Toll House Cookies.
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Maine CDC is investigating a cluster of 7 shiga toxin positive E. coli O157:H7 (STEC) cases in Cumberland and York counties that occurred among residents over the past month (case onset dates of April 17 to May 17). This is double the usual number of STEC cases reported this time of year (n=3). The median age of cases was 26 years (age range 14 years to 65 years). As of May 28, 6 of the 7 cases have been confirmed shiga positive E. coli O157:H7 by the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL). Of these, 4 cases match by Pulse-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and are considered part of a national cluster. At this time, the investigation is ongoing although we have not identified any common venues, events or foods based on case interviews.
What is PFGE?
When a sample is taken from either a person, piece of meat or poultry that is contaminated with a dangerous form of bacteria, such as E. coli O157:H7, listeria, or campylobacter, it can be cultured to obtain and identify the bacterial isolate. If a person consumes some of the contaminated meat or poultry, and becomes infected as a result, a stool sample can then be cultured to obtain and identify the bacterial isolate. These bacterial isolates are then broken down into their various component parts creating a DNA "fingerprint".
The process of obtaining the DNA fingerprint is called Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis, or PFGE. This technique is used to separate the DNA of the bacterial isolate into its component parts. It operates by causing alternating electric fields to run the DNA through a flat gel matrix of agarose, a polysaccharide obtained from agar. The pattern of bands of the DNA fragments — or “fingerprints” — in the gel after exposure to the electrical current is unique for each strain and sub-type of bacteria. By performing this procedure, scientists can identify hundreds of strains of E. coli O157:H7 as well as strains of listeria and campylobacter, and other pathogenic bacteria.
The PFGE pattern of the bacteria can then be compared and matched up to the PFGE pattern of the strain of infected persons who consumed the contaminated product. When PFGE patterns match, they, along with solid epidemiological work, are proof that the contaminated product was the source of a person's illness.
It will be interesting to see if Maine, the CDC and other States' Health Departments will be able to link the illnesses in Maine to other states and to a possible source.
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Everyone would meet at Regatta Park in downtown Oklahoma City at the corner of Reno and Lincoln. The race would begin off the docks of the Chesapeake Boathouse with a one lap, 1.5 kilometer swim across the Oklahoma River. The Boathouse International Triathlon would finish up with a 40k bike race and 10k foot race with $30,000 in prize money for the winners.
That was two weekends ago. Now, however, the Oklahoma Department of Health has reason to believe at least 20 of the 376 triathlon participants are sick with "gastrointestinal illness"
Race officials went ahead with the triathlon on May 16-17th even though water tests conducted on May 15th showed an E. coli count of 573 per 100 milliliters of water. The state standard for "primary body contact recreation," where ingesting water is possible, is a count no higher than 126 for E. coli.
State health officials are now asking every triathlon participant to fill out an online health survey.
Oklahoma's water woes are becoming all too common. Private well water was suspected in last year's outbreak of E. coli 0111 in Locust Grove, OK. The state's final report on that can be found here. Contamination from "poultry litter" has been a subject for litigation involving both the Oklahoma and Illinois rivers.
I did not serve hamburger to my kids at our Memorial Day Barbecue – again. Perhaps after 16 years of Litigating E. coli cases make me more wary than most, or perhaps it is the facts that on family of a seven year old is mourning the loss of their child – because she ate a hamburger. When is the Meat Industry going to get it?
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The presence of E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger was defined as an adulterant under the Federal Meat Inspection Act in 1994. However, recalls of E. coli O157:H7 contaminated meat and related illnesses continued over the next decade to grow, as did my law firm. Oddly too, and with near regularity, E. coli O157:H7 recalls and illnesses seemed to begin in the Spring and peak in late Summer and Fall from 1993 through 2002.
After 24 million pounds of contaminated beef were recalled in 34 separate incidents in 2002, recalls dropped off to just over a million pounds a year for the next three years, and then to just 181,900 pounds in 2006. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention saw E. coli O157:H7 – related illnesses drop 48% between 2000 and 2006.
The reality is that from 1993 through 2002, children sickened with E. coli O157:H7 tainted hamburger made up the bulk of my law practice. However, as E. coli O157:H7 hamburger recalls fell from 2003 through the end of 2006, I wondered if the law firm would survive. Springs just simply were not the same.
But then came Spring 2007. E. coli O157:H7, which begins its life in the hindgut of a cow, mounted a surge on its home court. And, it came back with a vengeance. Since the Spring of 2007, forty-four million pounds of beef have been recalled in 25 incidents due to E. coli O157:H7. And, I am now back in the meat business, and look to Spring not just for the beginning of hay fever season.
Ohio health officials have confirmed the death of a 7-year old Cleveland girl due to an E. coli infection related to what is now a multi-state outbreak traced back to a troubled Illinois meatpacker.
Yesterday's recall of 96,000 pounds of ground beef from Valley Meats LLC was not a first time offense for the Coal Valley, IL business that is known to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as "Establishment 5712."
J&B Meats, listed on USDA records as the processor for Valley Meats, previously:
Like the current recall, all the previous recalls from "Establishment 5712" were for E. coli contamination. Last time, consumer complaints led to the E. coli discovery. Before that it was the Wisconsin Health Department, and the first time, USDA didn't say.
Both Valley Meats and J&B Meats operate out of 2302 First Street in Coal Valley, IL, sharing the same establishment number and same address and phone number in USDA's files. J&B also is one of the brand names listed in the Valley Meats recall.
Outbreak Statistics At a Glance
Source of Outbreak: Country Cottage Restaurant, Locust Grove, OK
Outbreak Organism: E. coli O111:NM
Vehicle of Contamination: Unknown
Method of Spread: Foodborne transmission
Confirmed Outbreak Period: Aug. 15-24, 2008
Cases: 341
Hospitalizations: 70
Deaths: 1
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) released its final report today on the investigation of the largest E. coli O111 outbreak ever documented in the United States. The outbreak, which occurred in late August 2008 in northeastern Oklahoma, sickened 341 people and resulted in one death.
The report detailed the agency’s extensive epidemiological investigation into the outbreak that included laboratory testing, personal interviews, and an in-depth environmental investigation. While the source of the outbreak – the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, – was quickly identified, the vehicle for contamination was never found.
Laboratory analyses of specimens provided by those who became sick allowed the OSDH and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to pinpoint E. coli 0111 as the bacterial organism responsible for persons’ illnesses. However, microbiological testing of food products and food preparation and serving surfaces in the restaurant, as well as testing symptomatic restaurant employees, samples from a private water well located on the property, water filters, and the Locust Grove municipal water supply, found no E. coli 0111. The OSDH released multiple situational updates during the investigation that reported no E. coli 0111 had been identified in its extensive testing process. Because the disease-causing organism was not found, the OSDH was unable to eliminate from consideration any of the potential vehicles for transmission of the bacteria into the restaurant, including well water. Even so, analysis of data collected during the investigation suggests there was ongoing foodborne transmission of E. coli O111 to restaurant customers from Aug. 15-24, 2008.
“What is important to remember is that when responding to an infectious disease outbreak, our primary objective is to rapidly identify the source of the infection to contain the outbreak and prevent any further spread,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. “Within 48 hours of being notified of increased cases of persons with bloody diarrhea being admitted to Tulsa area hospitals, we identified the Country Cottagerestaurant as the common source of transmission. The restaurant closed voluntarily and the outbreak was contained.”
According to the CDC, only 10 outbreaks involving E. coli 0111 had been reported nationally prior to Oklahoma’s outbreak. The bacteria are from the family of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria, or STEC. Persons who ingest STEC may have a diarrheal illness ranging from very mild and non-bloody to severe with very bloody stools. The infectious dose is very small and STEC are often spread by ingesting food items contaminated with fecal matter that are not subsequently cooked. Person-to-person transmission, direct animal contact, and waterborne transmission, either from contaminated drinking water or recreational water, are other exposure routes.
State health officials said as of March 16, 2009, OSDH personnel have reported 6,481 hours of total accrued time and effort dedicated to the E. coli O111 outbreak investigation. This does not take into account the time and effort provided by Tulsa Health Department personnel, student volunteers, or medical staff at various hospitals and clinics who provided surveillance information.
Colorado's state government, from the Legislature on down, was closed Friday due to a spring snowstorm that dumped up to a couple of feet of snow on parts of metro Denver. Most state workers were sent home around 1 p.m. Thursday and won't be returning until Monday morning.
So had it not been for the storm maybe we'd know by now the results of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment investigation into the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 that sickened up to 30 children on the Front Range after they attended last January's National Western Stock Show in Denver.
"Thirty people became ill, and we strongly suspect it originated at the stock show," Alicia Cronquist, an epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, told the Denver Post on March 18th.
"We are trying to find out what they did at the stock show that made them sick," said Cronquist.
This includes which exhibits they visited, which shows they went to and which animals they touched, she said.
Of the 30 cases, 29 have been confirmed through laboratory testing as E. coli with the "same fingerprint," Cronquist said. The 30th person sickened, she added, is a "probable case."
A report on the investigation is now due out at any moment---once everyone is back to work.
About 600,000 people annually attend the Stock Show.
Now let's get this straight.
The State of Oklahoma has sued the poultry industry led by Tyson Foods in federal court to stop the application of poultry litter as fertilizer in the Illinois River watershed.
Then when Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson suggests poultry litter pollution could be the cause of last summer's unsolved E coli 0111 outbreak in Locust Grove, which is well outside the IR watershed, Tyson's pr operation charges the AG with trying to influence potential jurors in the IR case.
And now after a bunch of private water wells in the Locust Grove area have been found to be free of the E. coli 0111 strain responsible for the outbreak that killed a local man and sickened 313. but are contaminated with other forms of the E coli bacteria, Tyson attorneys have asked a federal magistrate to let them depose the AG about the outbreak.
The AG does not plan on cooperating with the chicken lawyers. "They are talking about a half day or a full day out of my schedule for a fishing expedition," Edmondson told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. "I don't intend to be a witness. It's gamesmanship, and I don't intend to play."
Chicken manure in the water is not a new story in Oklahoma. Tyson's and five other poultry companies agreed to pay a $7.3 million settlement fee to the City of Tulsa, to settle charges that the use of chicken waste as fertilizer had created phosphorus pollution in city's water.
For more on the latest moves in the Illinois River case, go here.
The United Kingdom has finished the inquiry into the island nation's second worst E. coil outbreak in its history. In the 2005 outbreak, there were 157 cases of E.coli at 44 schools, with 31 children needing hospital treatment. And five-year old Mason Jones, of the Deri Primary School, near Bargoed, South Wales, died. (The boy and the butcher are both pictured here.)
Now the official inquiry has found William Tudor, the butcher, was responsible. Nothing unexpected about that finding as Tudor, 55, already plead guilty to six counts of placing unsafe food on the market and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
The official inquiry was extensive. It reviewed more than 45,000 pages of evidence; took 258 statements from 191 witnesses (excluding statements taken by South Wales Police); and heard from 63 witnesses called during six-weeks of public hearings.
While putting the blame squarely on Tudor, the report made extensive recommendations including:
Regulatory and enforcement bodies should employ more robust checks;For more on the report, go here.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found plenty of E. coli bacteria in the test samples from private wells in the Locust Grove, OK area. CDC found E coli 0141, E coli 0179 and E coli 0113. All are types of bacteria that can cause illness in humans
But CDC found no E coli 0111, the rare strain that killed a man and made 313 others sick last year after they dined at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove.
The fact that no E. coli 0111 was found in any of the 20 wells that were found to be contaminated does not mean that the rare strain was NOT present in well water last year.
Prior to the outbreak last year, the Country Cottage for a time used its private well water because low public water pressure. The Oklahoma State Health Department found the bacteria was introduced into the Country Cottage restaurant, as all those sickened or who died had eaten there and contracted the bacteria at the restaurant.
But where the E coli 0111 actually originated remains a mystery. Tests of food items and water last year also came up negative for 011
Tests of at least 70 private wells in the area of the Country Cottage were ordered after the possibility was raised by Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson that the area’s ground water could be fouled by poultry litter on the surface. At least 20 wells were contaminated.
The state's investigation into the O111 outbreak appeared to have hit a dead-end before the Attorney General pushed for the well testing. Edmondson Monday charged that state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley had "botched" the investigation. He says Bradley in private says the Country Cottage well was the source of the 0111 outbreak.
Edmondson was in Denver Wednesday, appearing before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and seeking to have the state's injunction against the poultry industry in the Illinois River Watershed from disposing of poultry litter as fertilizer upheld. It was knocked down by a lower court.
The testing of private water wells in and around Locust Grove, OK continues with the number testing positive for E. coli has increasing to 20.
Three additional drinking water wells were found positive for E. coli. The well testing has also found total coliform bacteria contamination in some wells.
Last year's outbreak of the a rare strain of E. coli, known as 0111, was responsible for one death and 313 illnesses. The Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, which had briefly used well water, was the common factor in the outbreak, but the precise source of the E coli 0111 has remained a mystery.
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who suspects "poultry litter" from chicken farms in the area could be responsible for the E. coli contamination, turned state investigators on to the well water studies.
With this report out of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, there are two questions that need answers. First, can DEQ be specific about the strain of E. coli? And, second, can DEQ provide a map of the locations with positive results. We will explain more below. Here's the news:
DEQ says 59 of 74 private water wells tested in Locust Grove are positive for E coli bacteria. A rare strain of E. coli, known as 0111, killed one man and made hundreds sick after eating at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove last summer.
So, if DEQ has found the rare E. coli 0111 strain, it would amount to a "smoking gun." Further, if the locations that have tested positive are linked to the same underground water source the Country Cottage's own private well, then things really have gotten interesting.
Memo to poultry producers: you may want to back off on the comments about these tests being politically motivated by an ambitious Attorney General. For more about today's findings, go here.
E. coli at a Lemont, IL day care is responsible for making 21 children and one adult ill in an outbreak that began in early February.
The Cook County Health Department has ordered tests for all children and adults at the KinderCare Learning Center, 12404 Archer Ave.
Officials allowed the day care center to remain open so the children have a place to go and not possibly carry the bacteria to other centers.
Three children associated with the outbreak - linked to a lack of handwashing - were hospitalized but have since been treated and released.
The remaining children carrying the bacteria are all under the age of 5. They, along with the adult, have been sent home along with anyone experiencing diarrhea until tests for the bacteria turn up negative twice within 24 hours.
A person who has no symptoms could still test positive for the bacteria, the department warned.
KinderCare has stepped up its efforts to sanitize the center, including adding enhanced cleaning, additional staff to monitor handwashing, and hiring a certified nurse.
For a company with a corporate rap sheet that's longer than most, you have to admire the brash spokesman for Tyson Foods. We are talking about the one who wrote an email to the media stating that: "There has never been a single, documented instance of a water-borne bacteriological disease being caused by the use of poultry litter."
Tyson knows a thing or two about clean water, as few have as many convictions for violating the federal Clean Water Act as the nation's largest poultry processor. So when one of their flacks comes out using the words "never" and "documented" in the same sentence--well color us less than impressed.
What does impress us is when a state elected official steps up and refuses to take "good enough" for an answer. Locust Grove, OK, the Country Cottage restaurant, and 341 customers including 72 who required hospitalization and the man who died from E. coli 0111 are part of a mystery that deserves to be solved.
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has refused to accept state agencies reaching a dead-end in their investigation of the E. coli outbreak. Since he sued eight Arkansas poultry companies in 2005 for polluting the Illinois River Basin, his office has become expert in the damages that may be caused by "poultry litter.
So when Edmondson put his investigators on the E. coli 0111 outbreak, they couldn't help but notice that within a five mile radius of the Country Cottage were 49 poultry farms raising chickens for the likes of Tyson and Simmons Foods. Estimates are the operations involve something like 10,000 tons of poultry litter a year. So much that if it did not impact the ground water it would be a miracle.
To test the Attorney General office's theory, the water from nearly 70 private wells have been tested this week by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Lab results will be available late next week.
In neighboring Cherokee County, however, E coli has been found in the well water of a mobile home park and the property has been put on a "boil water" order. Until the Locust Grove area results are in, poultry litter will remain a "possible source" of the bacteria that killed one and injured many.
Poultry litter is more than just chicken manure. It is a material used as bedding in poultry operations to render the floor more manageable. Common litter materials are wood shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, shredded sugar cane, straw, and other dry, absorbant, low-cost organic materials. After use, the litter consists primarily of poultry manure, but also contains the original litter material, feathers, and spilled feed. (Or we might just call it a potential bacteriological cocktail.)
Shortly before the outbreak, the Country Cottage did use its private well water for a time when city water was not available.
Edmondson by insisting that ODEQ and the Health Department aggressively pursue these lines of inquiry has greatly upset the Arkansas-based chicken industry and even some in Oklahoma agriculture. But we say that's what political courage is all about.
Last summer a man was killed and 300 people became ill with an unusual strain of E coli 0111. All were connected to people who were customers of the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK.
But no definite water or food source was found for the E. coli 0111 and what brought the deadly pathogen into the little town located 50 miles east of Tulsa has remained a mystery. Although there was much investigating late last year, the state's Attorney General has come forward with an unusual theory of his own for the outbreak --poultry litter.
The AG office is investigating a possible link between the E. coli outbreak at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove and poultry litter contamination in the well water.
And the AG is getting his theory a full-blown investigation.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will inspect and sample the water in private wells within a five mile area of Locust Grove. The tests are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 18-19.
“The goal is to protect the public,” said Attorney General Drew Edmondson. He said homeowners who use well water within five miles of Locust Grove can call to have their wells tested. He said the testing is to give homeowners information about what is in their wells so they can make informed decisions.
A report by the AG shows 39 active poultry houses in a 5-mile area of the Country Cottage which produce between 5,000 to 7,000 tons of waste each year.
Oklahoma's AG is no stranger to fighting poultry litter. He took the State of Arkansas to federal court over charges that poultry litter from 13 companies located there are contaminating the Illinois River basin that is shared by the two states. That case is now in the 10th District US Court of Appeals in Denver.
For more on the E. coli 0111 investigation, check out this edition of The Daily Times
Twenty people, including 17 children, from up and down Colorado's Front Range are suffering from confirmed cases of E. coli, Denver Public Health officials said today. The common thread -- all attended the National Western Stock Show held in late January in the Mile High City.
A lab has confirmed 20 E. coli cases but the number is expected to grow, said Chris Urbina with Denver Public Health.
The strain E. coli O157 primarily affected children on the Front Range, from Boulder to El Paso County.
"While the investigation is ongoing, we suspect that these infections are linked to attending the National Western Stock Show, which was held in Denver from Jan. 10 to Jan. 25," the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a news release.
Although health officials haven't pinpointed the exact cause of the E. coli, the common denominator in all the cases is the stock show, Urbina said. For 12th year in a row, the National Western Stock Show attendance topped 600,000--making it one of the largest events of its kind in the nation.
No one from the Stock Show has yet addressed the e. coli outbreak. Many schools take students to the Stock Show. For more, go here.
The E. coli outbreak up in Ontario that dates back to October has officially been declared over. It impacted the hammer-head southeast area of Ontario that is closest to the United States.
Health officials tied the outbreak to romaine lettuce, but could not nail down the precise source.
The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care issued this summary:
"E. coli outbreaks in five health units have been declared over since the risk of ongoing transmission appears to have ended. The last date of onset for a confirmed case was November 6, 2008.
"Listed below is the updated number of cases for each of the five public health units, as of Friday, December 5, 2008 :
|
|
Total Cases |
Confirmed Cases |
Probable Cases (*) |
|
Niagara |
26 |
13 |
13 |
|
Guelph |
26 |
7 |
19 |
|
Halton |
12 |
6 |
6 |
|
Waterloo |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Hamilton |
1 |
1 |
0 |
(*) – Probable cases will never be reclassified as confirmed cases, as confirmed cases require laboratory confirmation and a PFGE pattern (DNA fingerprint) that matches the outbreak pattern. Laboratory confirmation or PFGE patterns were not obtained for these cases for reasons such as recovery from illness before samples were taken.
For more from the Ministry, go here.
Just a couple days short of three months of being closed after being cited as the source of the largest E. coli 0111 outbreak in modern history, the Country Cottage In Locus Grove, OK re-opened this weekend.
The restaurant located 50 miles east of Tulsa off the Cherokee Turnpike was allowed to re-open after reaching an agreement with state health officials. The Country Cottage had to disconnect a private well on the property, allow for environmental testing in the restaurant anytime upon demand by state health officials and implement a monitoring system for employee hand-washing.
The August outbreak became the largest in the nation's history for the rare E. coli strain O111, killing one man and sickening more than 300 adults and children in the rural community of 1,500.
Those sickened range in age from a few months to 88 years.
The outbreak has been blamed for the death of 26-year-old Chad Ingle of Pryor, who died Aug. 24, a week after eating at the restaurant.
Several young children required dialysis after being sickened. For more on the re-opening go here.
Unless you reside in the Rocky Mountains where wild Elk come every winter looking for food and warmth, you probably do not have to worry about this one.
However, if you or your kids go to someplace like Evergreen High School southwest of Denver, chances are Elk many times have rested on your football field or golf course.
So when, Jefferson County, west of Denver, found it was looking at a cluster of E. coli 0157:H7 cases, Elk and their droppings were suspect. Today's Rocky Mountain News reports:
"We track every case of E. coli 0157:H7," said Dr. Gayle Miller, senior epidemiologist with Jefferson County Health and Environment. Usually, the outbreaks are so sporadic that no useful links can be made.
This time, though, she found eight cases of the same strain. All eight kids were between 4 and 12 years old - six from Jefferson County and one each from Park and Clear Creek counties.
"We knew we had a cluster," she said.
"Next, she and her staff used a relatively new test, Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis, and found that not only was the strain the same, but each child's E. coli had almost identical genetic markers.
She and her staff interviewed the kids to see if they could find a pattern.
"All did say they spent some time in the Evergreen area," Miller said.
They all were close to elk country, either through sports teams or spending time in parks.
This is first time that E coli contamination in humans has been directly linked to deer or elk. The rest of the story is here.
Tennessee has two laboratory-confirmed cases of E.coli 0157 from the Fayetteville-Lincoln County area with an ongoing investigation into what made as many as 180 people sick. At this point, the Tennessee Department of Health is clueless about the source of the contamination.
The Elk Valley Times, based in Fayetteville, reports:
"The Department of Health has two laboratory-confirmed cases of E.coli 0157 from the Lincoln County area," Shelley Walker, communication coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Health in Nashville, said late Monday afternoon.
"After an extensive investigation, so far no source for these cases of illness has been identified," she said.
"We have interviewed more than 180 people as part of this ongoing investigation."
The Health Department did not have specific information about the patients involved in the case, Walker said, however, the investigation into the source of the illnesses and any other suspected cases continues.
The rest can be found here.
E. coli outbreaks in Halton, Niagara and Waterloo that have sickened hundreds have been linked by DNA tests showing they share the same rare genetic makeup. Public health officials are also investigating whether E. coli cases at the University of Guelph have the same DNA fingerprint. Of the cases linked in Ontario, 13 have been confirmed in the Niagara Region, three in Halton and two in Waterloo. Another 106 cases in Niagara and Halton are being investigated. In the United States, the genetic code recently showed up in five cases of the food-borne pathogen in Southern California, South Dakota and New Jersey
Apple cider is suspected as a the cause of E coli poisonings in Iowa and Illinois. There are now a 
half dozen E coli cases in the area. According to WKOW-TV in Madison,Wisconsin:
There are now six confirmed cases of E coli in the Tri-States, and a source might have been discovered among the ones in Southeast Iowa. According to the Burlington Hawkeye, late last week, the Des Moines County and Lee County Health Departments each confirmed another infection. That puts the E coli case count at three in Lee County, two in Des Moines County, and one in Hancock County. Yesterday, the Hancock County Health Department released a statement saying their case was unrelated to the recent Iowa infections. The Hawkeye reports that sources close to the Iowa cases believe that unpasteurized apple cider caused children to become sick. However, no businesses or facilities have been asked to shut down in connection to the cases. It is not uncommon for ground apples to be used for making cider, but people often forget that cows often visit such areas first. Also the Iowa Department of Public Health put out a press release Tuesday warning people to take caution when drinking unpastuerized apple cider. The story of one of the victims, 7-year-old TiAhnna Bryant, can be found here.
There are fewer restaurants open in Ontario due to E coli outbreaks. Add M.T. Bellies in Welland to
the list that already includes the Little Red Rooster restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Harvey's in North Bay--all closed because they are associated with ongoing E coli outbreaks.
The Canwest News Service reports that:
Health officials in the Niagara region are investigating eight new cases of E. coli infection, bringing to 31 the number of people suspected of having been sickened by the food-borne bacterium.
Eighteen of the currently suspected cases have been linked to the Little Red Rooster restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., and nine cases are connected to M.T. Bellies in Welland, Ont., Niagara Region Public Health officials said Thursday.
The remaining four have not yet been tied to a particular locale.
Medical officials have not yet been able to identify a specific source for the O157: H7 strain of E. coli at the centre of the outbreak.
Four hundred miles north, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit officials were investigating 235 cases in the central Ontario city, 45 of which have been confirmed as caused by the particular strain of E. coli. Harvey's restaurant in North Bay closed on Oct. 12th.
There are almost 400 miles between the Harvey's restaurant in North Bay and the Little Red Rooster restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but the two Ontario restaurants may be sharing a E. coli outbreak.
In North Bay, the number of confirmed E. Coli cases was up to 229. In Niagara, the count stood at 18.
Bjorn Christensen, the Niagara's director of environmental health, said they have not yet been able to determine the specific source of the E. coli, but it is commonly found in undercooked beef.
Investigators are looking at other possible sources, including other restaurants and food distributors in the area.
Christensen said that given the restaurant's popularity with tourists and proximity to the U.S. border, it is possible new cases might be found outside of the region.
Meanwhile, in the central Ontario city of North Bay, health officials said 12 more cases of E. coli are being investigated for a total of 229 cases.
Forty-four of those cases have been confirmed to be E. coli O157: H7.
Both Ontario restaurants closed as a result of the E. coli outbreaks (or outbreak) Go here for more.
Harvey's restaurant in North Bay, Ontario must have been a popular place. The number of E coli 0157:H7 cases linked to Harvey's increased today to 190, up from 158 just a day earlier. Of those, 36 have been confirmed by laboratory results. CBC News gave this report:
"We believe the increase in the number of cases is largely due to people who are still reporting their symptoms and are within the expected timeframe of the outbreak," the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit said in a statement.
The cases are spread across nine health unit districts in Ontario and one in Quebec, and the majority remain linked to the Harvey's on Algonquin Avenue in North Bay, the city's health unit said.
All of the initial food samples collected on Oct. 12, when health officials shut down the restaurant, have tested negative for E. coli strain.
All of the packaged food from the restaurant have also tested negative for E. coli, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Go here for more, including information on contacting the District Health Unit.
A University of Michigan student has filed a lawsuit against Detroit-based Aunt Mid's Produce in connection with a statewide E. coli outbreak last month. The lawsuit -- the second against Aunt Mid's 
since the outbreak -- was filed Monday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court on behalf of a U-M senior who alleges she was sickened in the outbreak, which has been linked to Aunt Mid's. At least 38 people were sickened in Michigan last month by an E. coli strain linked to industrial-size packages of iceberg lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid's to restaurants and institutions. In her complaint, the student says she consumed the contaminated lettuce in mid-September, and by Sept. 19, she began to experience abdominal cramps, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. She sought treatment at the University of Michigan Health Service Clinic. An MSU student has also sued Aunt Mid's in connection with the E. coli outbreak.
We are beginning to wonder if the number and seriousness of E. coli 0157:H7 has become so
routine that its like background music.
The North Bay, Ontario outbreak has reached 159 confirmed and suspected cases, say Canadian health officials. South of the border, there are 10 more 0157:H7 victims in Vermont, where Vermont Livestock, Slaughter and Processing Co. has recalled of 2,758 pounds of ground beef due to the fact that they may be contaminated with E. coli.
Across the country north of Seattle, health officials in Snohomish County say they are investigating at least six cases of E. coli poisoning.
Some of the anger that is common with E. coli victims was documented by The Canadian Press. It reports:
Twenty-year-old student Kelly Fortier says she's angry her life has been put on hold since eating two weeks ago at a local Harvey's restaurant linked to the outbreak.
She suffered terrible cramps and bloody diarrhea and was hospitalized for four days, and she still can't go to school or work.
"I'm still in isolation - I can't go anywhere," Fortier said.
"I have other things to do, which I can't do. I was upset when I was in hospital, because I thought I was dying. But mainly I'm just angry."
The Oklahoma State Health Department arrived in Locust Grove at nightfall last Aug. 22nd to
They knew by the next day that the Country Cottage restaurant was implicated in the outbreak, but allowed popular family dining spot to remain open until it closed voluntarily three days later on Aug. 26th.
The slow response was detailed today by Daily Oklahoman reporters Tony Thornton, Randy Ellis and Nolan Clay. They reported that:
State Health Department officials allowed a Locust Grove restaurant to stay open temporarily — even after confirming six of eight initial food poisoning victims had eaten its food, internal documents show.
That decision may have resulted in additional people getting sick.
A rare strain of E. coli, 0111, caused the outbreak that killed a 26-year old man, put 72 in the hospital including seriously injured children, and made another 241 sick.
The Country Cottage remains closed. According to health officials, every 0111 victim had consumed food prepared by the Country Cottage. Officials have been unable to isolate a single source.
The work of the Oklahoman's investigative reporters can be found here.
Canada has seen more of its fair share of food-borne illness in recent months, especially with the Maple Leaf listeria outbreak that has killed 20. Now its got a full-blown E. coli outbreak on its hands as well.
Ontario's North Bay Parry Sound Health District today is reporting its:
...caseload of people who are ill with symptoms of E coli O157:H7 has increased overnight, as was anticipated. There are now 14 lab-confirmed cases of E coli and 38 are under investigation, bringing the total to 52 cases connected to this E coli outbreak investigation. All of the people who have become ill are linked to the Harvey’s Restaurant on Algonquin Avenue since September 28th 2008.
“Unfortunately, because of the number of meals served at Harvey’s Restaurant on a daily basis and the long incubation period of E coli O157:H7, we did predict that there would be an increase in the number of people who might be affected.” says Dr. Catherine Whiting, Medical Officer of Health. “Right now, I can tell you that the ages of the people who are ill range from 9 years old up to 84 years of age. Some of them are in hospital and some are recovering at home.”
Public Health Inspectors continue to collect information and analyze data to ensure that all possible sources of E coli are being investigated. City of North Bay emergency crews also conducted extra testing on the municipal water during the weekend. Lab test results confirm that drinking water is not the source.
For more from the Health District, go here. North Bay is a city of about 54,000 in northeastern Ontario. Its history is associated with the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Today farms selling raw milk in Vermont held open houses. They invited city and town folk to "hop
from farm to farm and spend the afternoon getting to know the farmers, dairy cows and goats in your community and beyond. Tour the farms, taste the milk, and even purchase a gallon to bring home!"
When they picked Sunday, Oct. 5, for the event, the raw milk dairies probably did not anticipate it would coincide with an E. coli outbreak blamed on their product.
Three people from Orleans County, Vermont are down the E. coli after consuming either raw milk or ice cream made with raw milk, health officials say.
In Vermont, farmers are allowed to sell small quantities of raw milk and raw milk products, but only on the farm. State health officials and the state Agency of Agriculture recommend that raw milk not be consumed.
The suggested donation for Sunday's open house was $10 per family, and all proceeds went benefit Rural Vermont's Farm Fresh Milk Campaign. Maybe the Campaign will step up and pay some medical bills! But we bet the milk goes sour long before that happens.
Public Health Officials Investigating wave of E. coli cases
Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) is currently investigating a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections associated with students attending the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU). Since September 23rd, BCPH has investigated eight related cases.
Initial investigations indicate that on-campus dining is not related to the illness. BCPH staff is working closely with CU and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to identify the source of the outbreak and any additional cases among students and the public. According to the Daily Camera, Initial investigations showed that on-campus dining isn't related to the outbreak, but health officials are still trying to identify the source. Of the eight cases, seven are CU students and one is a sorority adviser. Most of the affected students are members of the same sorority, which CU officials declined to name.
There have been recent E. coli outbreaks traced to steaks and lettuce.
There are places with bad karma and it makes you wonder why. Locust Grove, OK is such a place. The town of 1500 was, 30 years ago, the center for the murders of three Girl Scouts at camp. Murders that remain unsolved. Then there was the more recent killing of an elderly couple south of town. Killings that remain unsolved.
Now there's the outbreak of E. coli 0111 that made more than 300 sick and killed 26-year old Chad Ingle, a bank teller and newlywed from the nearby town of Pryor. Officially the outbreak is over, but the suffering continues.
KJRH-TV 2 in Tulsa reports:
13-year-old Lexy Morton was hospitalized due to E. coli for five weeks.
"She went through kidney dialysis. She had trouble with her pancreas, her kidneys, and her liver. She's lost a lot of muscle mass and a lot of weight," said Becky Morton, Lexy's mother.
She's been out of the hospital for a week now, but her treatments aren't over yet, "They're still taking bloodwork. We have to go a couple of times a week to the doctor," said Morton.
The Morton family is uninsured and now coping with $800,000 in medical bills. For more, go here.
Health officials have yet to find out how the 0111 strain of E coli got into the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, where most of the victims contacted the bacteria.
Whether or not it will remain another Locust Grove unsolved mystery remains to be seen. With the bad karma, however, we fear his too may remain unsolved.
The Michigan Department of Community Health is issuing a public health alert after dozens of cases of E. coli surfaced. It now appears the E. coli outbreak is linked to iceberg lettuce that came from a wholesale distributor.
As a precautionary measure, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is issuing a public health alert due to illnesses from the 26 cases of E. coli strain O157:H7 that are thought to be associated with bagged, industrial-sized packages of iceberg lettuce sold through wholesale venues to restaurants and institutions.
There is no evidence that the bagged lettuce at grocery stores is affected.
Some of the 26 Michigan cases consumed shredded or chopped iceberg lettuce in restaurants or institutions purchased from Aunt Mid's Produce Company, a Detroit-based wholesale distributor; and other distributing outlets could be identified. Product trace back and additional tests results are still in progress.
Our top priority at the Michigan Department of Community Health is to protect the public, said Dr. Gregory Holzman, chief medical executive for MDCH. We appreciate all of the assistance from Aunt Mid's. They have been very helpful in this investigation. We want to ensure that the public's health and well-being is protected. Even though the investigation is ongoing, available evidence is strongly pointing to iceberg lettuce.
The 26 genetically linked cases are present in eight Michigan counties including seven at Michigan State University (Ingham County), five inmates at the Lenawee County Jail, three students at the University of Michigan (Washtenaw County), four in Macomb County, three each in Wayne, two in Kent counties, and one each in St. Clair and Oakland counties. Of the E. coli O157:H7 cases that are genetically linked, 10 have been hospitalized. These linked cases range in age from 11 to 81 years old. Symptoms of these confirmed genetically linked E. coli patients began on Sept. 8. More confirmed cases could surface as the investigation continues
The“particularly dangerous” type of E coli (0157:H7) is said to be responsible for an outbreak at Michigan State University. Ten students living on campus are sick. According to the Detroit Free Press:
Tests have confirmed that the strain of E. coli that infected at least ten Michigan State University students last week is a “particularly dangerous” type. It’s the same strain that killed several young children in the Pacific Northwest in 1993 after eating hamburgers at Jack-In-the-Box restaurants, Dr. Dean Sienko, director of the Ingham County Health Department said.
The strain was confirmed by tests this morning, as the health department and health officials at the East Lansing school sought to determine the source of the outbreak.
Still, the infection seems to have been contained. No one has sought medical treatment since Thursday, Sienko said.
Sienko told the Free Press the ten cases could, however, represent the "tip of the iceberg" as many victims of food borne illness do not seek medical treatment. For more, go here.
The wording that has been used in the Oklahoma State Health Department releases have left us
with no doubt that the number of victims in the E. coli 0111 outbreak could continue to increase. That happened on Friday, when the total number climbed to 291. We were waiting for more detail, which has yet to come out. Since its now Monday, we though we'd best pass along what was said. Here you go:
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) said Friday, Sept. 12th that its investigation of the E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma has now confirmed at least 291 persons have become ill. Of that number, 227 were adults and 46 were children; the ages of 18 cases have not yet been identified. One person has died.
At least 67 persons have been hospitalized including 16 who have received dialysis treatment. Of that number, nine were children and seven were adults.
More than 1,700 persons have been interviewed thus far, including 228 persons on Thursday. Today is the last day the OSDH will interview persons who ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, Aug. 15-17. In particular, the OSDH wants to talk with families with young children who ate at the restaurant and did not become ill. Persons can call the OSDH at 1-800-990-2769 through 8 p.m. today.
The OSDH, Tulsa Health Department, and a team from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also investigating an event catered by the Country Cottage restaurant at the Bethany Free Will Baptist Church in Broken Arrow on Aug. 16. About 250 persons attended the event and health investigators have interviewed about 160 thus far to see if they became ill after eating at the event and if so, what their symptoms were. At least 30 of those attending have indicated they became ill with diarrhea or other milder symptoms.
The laboratory analysis of food samples taken from the Country Cottage restaurant found no disease-causing pathogens, the Oklahoma State Health Department (OSHD) announced today. Earlier, no disease-causing pathogens were found in either the well water available for use at the Country Cottage nor the Locust Grove public water. Nor was anything found on the counters or other surfaces at the Country Cottage.
So, there is an unsolved mystery in Locust Grove, OK. Today's OSHD update also said:
"...its investigation of the E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma has now confirmed at least 248 persons have become ill. Of that number, 202 were adults and 46 were children. One person has died.
At least 64 persons have been hospitalized including 16 who have received dialysis treatment. Of that number, nine were children and seven were adults.
Check out the rest here.
While we wait for laboratory analysis of food samples from the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, there was this update:
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) said today at least 231 persons have become ill as the result of an E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma. Of that number, 185 were adults, 43 were children and the ages of three cases have not yet been confirmed.
At least 61 persons have been hospitalized including 16 who have received dialysis treatment. Of that number, nine were children and seven were adults.
The OSDH cautions that the number of reported cases and hospitalizations associated with the outbreak are likely to change as the investigation continues.
One man who became ill also died. For more from OSDH, go here.
Meanwhile, families with victims of the outbreak are retaining Bill Marler to represent them as reported by this Fox News report.
The largest outbreak of E. coli 0111 remains unsolved. Here's the latest from state officials:
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) said today that analysis of environmental samples taken from the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, indicated no disease-causing pathogens were found on the restaurant’s surfaces. The restaurant has been the focus of an ongoing investigation into the source of an E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma.
“We found no firm evidence of E. coli 0111 on food preparation and serving surfaces,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. “I would caution, however, that it is very challenging to go to the scene of a food-borne illness outbreak and try to retrieve an organism from surfaces that may have been cleaned since any contamination took place.”
E. coli 0111 was identified from laboratory specimens of patients sickened by the outbreak.
Laboratory analysis of foods sampled at the restaurant is continuing.
State officials previously eliminated both well water available for use at the Country Cottage and Locust Grove public water as sources of the outbreak that has killed one 26-year old man and made more than 200 others very sick.
About 1300 people, including many Country Cottage patrons who did not get sick, have been interviewed by health officials.
Check out this headline in today's Oklahoman for more: Cause of northeast Oklahoma E. coli outbreak still sought
There is no reason now to get off the Cherokee Turnpike, northeastern Oklahoma's toll road, at Locust Grove. The Country Cottage remains closed, few want to go to any other Locust Grove restaurants, and they've even called off a high school football game.
That's what happens when you are the center of a mystery outbreak of the rare E. coli 0100. The One was a salad bar at a cheerleading camp in Texas in 1999 and the other was unpasteurized apple cider in New York in 2004. And even though the Oklahoma State Health Department (OSHD) says its safe for people to visit Locust Grove and eat in the restaurants that remain open, people are staying away and business is real slow. It's bad. Everybody's having a real rough time surviving," said Linda Shipley, who has owned Cook's Restaurant for 17 years. "We know for a fact that the people who were sick were not my customers. It's kind of crucified us because of it." For more on Locust Grove restaurants, go here. But with more than 200 sick and one dead, people are moving through Locust Grove as quickly as possible. The nearby Wagoner School District even refused to bring its team into Locust Grove for a pre-season scrimmage. "I'm responsible for those little kiddos and, here again, it being just a scrimmage, I didn't want to risk anything happening," said the Wagoner Superintendent. Meanwhile OSHD has a big weekend planned. “In our efforts to establish if there is an association with particular food items and illness, we will be interviewing more persons to find those who ate at the Country Cottage and did not become ill,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. “In an investigation of this scope, it is as important to collect information on those who did not get sick as those who did become ill. We’ve determined that our statistical database does not adequately represent those who ate at the Country Cottage but did not become ill.” OSHD has the names of 320 people who ate at the Country Cottage but did not become ill during the critical dates of Aug. 15-17 when most of the victims did partake at the popular restaurant. These newly identified persons will be contacted this weekend to see if they can recall what food items they ate and if they got sick afterward. “This information is necessary so that we can make the distinction between what might have been a popular food choice versus a valid association with illness,” Bradley explained. The Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has joined Oklahoma's investigation. Also on Saturday, Lexy Morton hopes to be able to get out of her hospital bed for her 13th birthday. She is one of the victims of the Country Cottage outbreak, and her story can be found here.
northeast Oklahoma outbreak is one of only ten, according to the Centers for Disease control. In the 10 previous similar outbreaks the source has been found in only two.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) reports this weekend that at least 176 persons have become ill as a result of the E. coli O111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma. Cases include 128 adults and 48 children. Federal and state health officials say E. coli O111 is a rare type not normally associated with an outbreak this large. OSDH disease investigators, along with staff from Tulsa Health Department and area local county health departments, have interviewed more than 450 persons in an effort to identify the source of the outbreak. Interviews continue this weekend. While the source has not yet been identified, health officials continue to focus on the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, after interviews with cases indicated most had eaten there during the time period Aug. 15 through Aug. 23.
The restaurant is closed while the investigation continues. Not all persons who ate at the restaurant have become ill. No other restaurant or food service outlet in the area has been linked to the outbreak. OSDH laboratory analysis of water samples taken from a private well on the restaurant property has cleared the well water as the source of the outbreak.
Prior Outbreaks of E. coli O111:
Escherichia coli O111:H8 Outbreak Among Teenage Campers - Texas, 1999
The outbreak of a rare strain of E. coli centered east of Tulsa has now made 116 people sick, put 50 into area hospitals and taken at least one life. The Oklahoman today is reporting that well water tests at the Country Cottage restaurant are raising more questions about the source of the deadly E. coli 0111.
According to The Oklahoman story by John David Sutter:
The state Health Department says its inquiry into a deadly E. coli outbreak in northeast Oklahoma remains focused on food from a buffet restaurant in Locust Grove, even though tests of the restaurant's well water show possible bacterial contamination.
Water tests released Friday by the state Department of Environmental Quality show a private water well at the Country Cottage restaurant may be contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria. But the tests are inconclusive and "may be a very peripheral finding” in the state's overall investigation into the outbreak, state epidemiologist Kristy Bradley said.
The Country Cottage used its private and untested well water when the public supply was not available. A city water line break on or about Aug. 10th caused the restaurant to switch to its back up source. But the restaurant claims it was back on public water when most people who got sick dined there, between Aug. 15 and 17.
Using untested private well water in a public restaurant may be illegal in Oklahoma.
Can we say for sure it was the water that caused the outbreak? No, we can't. But we also can't rule it out,” said an Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality spokesman.
State officials said the public water supply undergoes regular testing and is safe, but urged other private well owners in the area to get their water tested as soon as possible.
Go here for more.
Beth Burnett at KJRH-TV 2 in Tulsa appears to be digging into that area's E. coli outbreak, finding that the ill-fated Country Cottage restaurant has a long history of negative inspections by local health authorities. The popular Locust Grove, OK restaurant racked up a staggering 88 health violations in the last four years.
Burnett also reports:
As we understand it, the Country Cottage was a buffet style restaurant, so placing "two different kinds of food too close together' would have been standard practice. For the rest of 2's story, go here.
Locust Grove, Oklahoma, population 1400, is about 50 miles east of Tulsa. A local hamburger joint called D.J.'s was made famous by local country-western star Mica Roberts. But an apparent outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 is making another Locust Grove restaurant famous in the worst way.
The Country Cottage is at the center of an ongoing possible outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 that is now said to be responsible for at least one death and three dozen illnesses. The name of the person who died has not yet been released. As many as 30 people suffering from symptoms of E coli are being care for at hospitals in Tulsa, Beggs, Bixby and Pryor.
The Country Cottage is also known at the Blue House to locals who frequent it.
When we have more information from Oklahoma health officials, we will be back with an update.
"Blog Release"
Bill Marler, food safety advocate and E. coli attorney, whose Seattle law firm, Marler Clark, has been contacted by victims of the E. coli outbreak traced to the S&S’s hamburger recall and outbreak that has sickened at least 80 Boy Scouts, called today on S&S to pay the medical bills and lost wages of all individuals who became ill with E. coli infections as part of the outbreak.
“We know that at least eight became ill with E. coli infections after eating S&S hamburger,” Marler said. “The cost of treating victims of E. coli infections can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, or in a severe case, even in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Marler continued. “These families need S&S to do more than promise to cooperate in the investigation into this outbreak. They need to know that S&S intends to fulfill its corporate responsibility by looking out for its customers.”
Marler noted that in other outbreak-situations companies such as Chi-Chi’s, Dole, Jack in the Box, Con Agra, Odwalla and Sheetz advanced medical costs for outbreak victims whose illnesses were traced to their food products.
Since the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in 1993, Bill Marler has represented thousands of E. coli victims against corporations such as AFG, Bauer Meats, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Byerly’s, ConAgra, Cub Foods, Dole, Emmpak, Excel, Finley School District, Fresno Meat market, Gold Coast Produce, Habaneros, Interstate Meats, Jack in the Box, Karl Ehmer, Kentucky Fried Chicken, King Garden, Kroger, Lunds, McDonalds, Odwalla, Natural Selections, Nebraska Beef, Olive Garden, Peninsula Village, Pat & Oscar’s, PM Beef Holdings, Sam’s Club, Sizzler, Spokane Produce, Sodexho, Supervalu, Taco Bell, Taco John’s, Topps, United Food Group (UFG), Walmart, Wendy’s and Whole Foos. Total recoveries on behalf of victims are in excess of $300,000,000.
Several times a month Bill, through the non-profit OutBreak, Inc., speaks to industry and government throughout the United States, Canada, China and Australia on why it is important to prevent foodborne illnesses. He is also a frequent commentator on food litigation and safety.
Tags:Lisa Crutchfield of the Times-Dispatch reported this morning that about 84 people who attended the camp at the reservation between July 20 and Aug. 2 have shown symptoms of the E. coli O157:H7 infection. Twenty-five children in Northern Virginia have been lab-confirmed with the E. coli O157H7 infection and eight Virginia Scouts have required hospitalization, said Virginia health officials. In addition, five cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been confirmed among those who returned from Goshen to Maryland.
S&S Foods of Azusa, California recalled about 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef linked to E. coli O157:H7 infections at Goshen Scout Reservation in Rockbridge County. Health officials matched samples of beef removed from the Scout reservation to bacteria found in stool samples of some of the affected campers.
According to the CTI website, "CTI Foods is a privately held company owned by a group of foodservice industry veterans. The Company was established in July 2003 through the acquisition and merger of SSI Food Services, Inc. and S&S Foods, LLC. Since then, the Company has expanded its operations into Texas by opening two additional processing facilities. Production operations have been in place since 1986 in Idaho, 1998 in California, and 2004 in Texas."
As I said to the LA Times yesterday:
Since spring 2007, more than 19,500 tons of E. coli-tainted beef have been recalled in more than 30 separate incidents, according to Seattle attorney and food safety expert William D. Marler.The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Monday that it was investigating six cases of E. coli that might be linked to a multi-state outbreak involving tainted meat from Nebraska Beef of Omaha. So far, at least 50 people have been sickened.
"Nobody I've talked to has any idea why we're seeing an increase, though everybody has a different theory," Marler said. "The meat industry basically has no answers. It's pretty frustrating -- there'll be some hand-wringing, a bunch of lawsuits and nothing will be done until three months later, when it all happens again."
DC with E. coli-tainted hamburger, but apparently not.
According to press reports, Virginia Health officials confirmed today that beef taken from the Boy Scout camp in Goshen tested positive for the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. However, Alan Lambert, the Scout Executive for the National Capital Area Scout council says the Virginia Department of Health says it may not be the only culprit in the outbreak there. He held a press conference in Bethesda, MD Monday morning. Lambert says the USDA is continuing with its investigation.
Health department officials have confirmed at least 14 boys and one adult were infected with E. coli while attending a Boy Scout camp in Rockbridge County. As many as 60 people who attended the Goshen Scout Reservation last week reported becoming ill, and the number of E. coli cases could increase as test results are analyzed, according to the Virginia Department of Health. All 14 boys were from Northern Virginia, and nine were hospitalized.
Water does not seem to be the source of the infection, said Dr. Douglas Larsen, director for Central Shenandoah Health District. The camp is part of Larsen's district. All six water wells at the camp tested negative on June 21, just prior to the outbreak, Larsen said.
Health department officials have confirmed at least 14 boys and one adult were infected with E. coli while attending a Boy Scout camp in Rockbridge County. As many as 60 people who attended the Goshen Scout Reservation last week reported becoming ill, and the number of E. coli cases could increase as test results are analyzed, according to the Virginia Department of Health. All 14 boys were from Northern Virginia, and nine were hospitalized.
Health officials in Northern Virginia are in the process of talking to those with confirmed cases about what food they ate. That could lead to some more clues, Larsen said.
Also, according to a Boy Scout press release, the Goshen Scout Reservation has been closed and will remain so until further notice. Earlier today, the National Capital Area Council (NCAC), BSA was made aware of three additional Scouts showing symptomatic signs of E. coli bacteria infection. The affected Scouts were at Goshen Scout Reservation during week 5 (July 28 - August 2).
where at least six people are sick and beef is the suspected source of the illness.The Massachusetts cases range in age from three to 60 years. They include residents of Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex counties. They reported becoming ill between July 10 and 16. At least five of the cases were hospitalized.According to the CDC, 54 confirmed cases have been linked both epidemiologically and by molecular fingerprinting to the Nebraska Beef outbreak. The number of cases in each state is as follows: Georgia (4), Indiana (3), Kentucky (1), Michigan (22), New York (1), Ohio (21), Utah (1) and West Virginia (1). Their illnesses began between May 27 and July 1, 2008. 28 persons have been hospitalized. One patient developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported.
These cases may be linked to 20 other cases in several states and Quebec that were caused by the same strain of E. coli.
The Massachusetts cases were linked by DNA testing and by comparing those results to results from others around the country through a federal foodborne illness surveillance program called PulseNet.
I must admit I was a Boy Scout – many years ago. I too went to scout camp, but never became ill – certainly not with E. coli O157:H7. Now at least 18 people have fallen ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections after visiting a Scout camp in Virginia.
According to the Washington Post, the Virginia Department of Health was notified of several cases involving ill children after boys from dozens of Scout troops left the Goshen Scout Reservation outside of Lexington, Virginia. An additional 60 people who returned from the camp have experienced symptoms that may be from E. coli O157:H7 infections. Christopher Novak, a Health Department epidemiologist, said the E. coli O157:H7 might have come from packaged meals of vegetables and beef eaten frequently at the camp.
To those reporters reading my blog, a few questions to ask the Virginia Health Department, the USDA/FSIS and the CDC (assuming the vegetable and beef meals are a common food item eaten):
1. What is the Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis pattern (genetic fingerprint) of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria taken from the ill scouts’ stools?
2. Does that genetic fingerprint match any other ill people in the United States?
3. Does that genetic fingerprint match any recently recalled meat?
It will be interesting to see if poisoning Boy Scout just outside the D.C. Beltway gets Congresses attention?
“The number of lab-confirmed E. coli cases associated with the Colquitt County outbreak remains at eight, with four presumed cases,” Grant said. “That number has not changed. The lab-confirmed cases are undergoing additional testing to determine whether they also match the multi-state case definition. Testing results are expected later this week.”
State departments of health and agriculture in several states, collaborating local health jurisdictions, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections.
States with cases of E. coli 0157:H7 infections with the outbreak strain
Based on this investigation, as of 5pm EST, July 14, 2008, 44 confirmed cases have
been linked both epidemiologically and by molecular fingerprinting to this outbreak. The number of cases in each state are as follows: Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (20), New York (1), and Ohio (21). Their illnesses began between May 30 and June 24, 2008.
Twenty-one ill persons have been hospitalized. One patient has developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths linked to the outbreak have yet been reported. Twenty-five (57 percent) patients are female. Patients range in age from 4 to 78 years with a median age of 20 years.
CDC and public health agencies across the United States are continuing surveillance activities to detect additional cases related to this outbreak. CDC and state laboratories are using advanced molecular testing techniques to help determine the extent of this outbreak.
State health and agriculture departments tested ground beef recovered from several patient residences that was purchased at Kroger® retail stores in Michigan and Ohio. Molecular fingerprinting testing conducted by the Ohio and Michigan Departments of Health and Agriculture Laboratories, in collaboration with PulseNet, the national molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance, on E. coli O157 isolates isolated from these ground beef samples have confirmed the isolates to be the outbreak strain of E. coli O157.
CDC's OutbreakNet Team conducted a multi-state case-control study in collaboration with health authorities in Ohio and Michigan to epidemiologically examine exposures that would be related to illness. The data indicate a significant association between illness and eating ground beef purchased at one of several Kroger® Company stores in Michigan and Ohio. CDC has provided these results to the USDA-FSIS and public health agencies in Michigan and Ohio.
On June 25, 2008, a recall was announced for ground beef sold at Kroger® Co. Stores in Michigan and Ohio. On July 3, the Kroger® Co. expanded the June 25th recall to include ground beef products from Kroger® establishments outside of Michigan and Ohio.
On June 30, 2008, a recall of 531,707 pounds of ground beef components from Nebraska Beef Ltd. was announced. On July 3, 2008, Nebraska Beef Ltd. expanded the June 30 recall to include all beef manufacturing trimmings and other products intended for use in raw ground beef produced between May 16 and June 26, 2008, totaling approximately 5.3 million pounds.
More information about these recalls can be found at the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (USDA/FSIS) web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/.
FSIS has confirmed that none of the affected products remain available for purchase at stores; however consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers and discard or return the ground beef products for a refund. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the Kroger Consumer Hotline at (800) 632-6900 or James Timmerman, Nebraska Beef Ltd. Vice President of Administration at (402) 397-7300.For more, go here.
The Barbecue Pit, the restaurant that closed voluntarily July 3 at Southwest Georgia Public Health District’s request, remained closed Monday as disease investigators announced the tally of E. coli patients has climbed to eight confirmed and four presumed cases.“Although the number of patients being seen at Colquitt Regional Medical Center has slowed down, people are still seeking treatment and in some cases being admitted with bloody diarrhea and other symptoms,” Southwest Georgia Public Health District Health Director Jacqueline Grant said. “To ensure there is no ongoing risk to the public, we are asking the restaurant to remain closed while we continue our investigation.”
Disease investigators learned Friday a sample from one of the confirmed cases was a match to the Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0157 bacteria strain behind disease outbreaks in Michigan and Ohio. Those illnesses were linked to ground beef. Results of samples taken from the Barbecue Pit on Friday may be available Tuesday, Grant said.Go here for more.
The Moultrie Observer reported on the link between ill people in Ohio and Michigan to at least nine in Georgia – “E. coli: Ground beef may be culprit.” The common denominator here is Nebraska Beef Ltd. (Remember, the guys who sue a church). Here is the key:
“A specimen sample from one of the patients resulted in a match to the same strain of E. coli bacteria in disease outbreaks in Michigan and Ohio, and those illnesses are linked to ground beef. “The National Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and state epidemiologists agree that ground beef may be a source of the infection in Colquitt County.” Nebraska Beef has recalled 5,300,000 pounds of meat.Ground beef is used in some of the dishes served in the Barbecue Pit, a Moultrie restaurant that has voluntarily closed as disease investigators attempt to find the source of E. coli O157:H7 contamination. A common thread among patients with confirmed cases of the disease is that they ate at the restaurant.
The tally of confirmed E. coli cases has now climbed to six, with three more cases still considered probable. The three “probable” E. coli patients have hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Laura Hall Bannister of Moultrie was one of the first ill reported. Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (D+HUS) is a severe, life-threatening complication that occurs in about 10% of those infected with E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin (Stx) producing E. coli. D+HUS was first described in 1955, but was not known to be secondary to E. coli infections until 1982. It is now recognized as the most common cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children. Adolescents and adults are also susceptible, as are the elderly who often succumb to the disease. We are now involved with at least three suits against Nebraska Beef:
Kroger E coli Outbreak Litigation
An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in June, 2008 was traced to Kroger stores in Ohio and Michigan. Kroger began a voluntary recall of certain ground beef products on June 25. On June 26, it was revealed that the meat was supplied by Nebraska Beef. Marler Clark filed the first lawsuit stemming from the outbreak on behalf of an Ohio resident on June 30, 2008.
Nebraska Beef E. coli Litigation
In 2006, meat manufactured by Nebraska Beef, distributed by Interstate Meat, and sold by Tabaka’s Supervalu was identified as the source of an E. coli outbreak among residents of and visitors to Longville, Minnesota. An outbreak investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture led to the conclusion that 17 people who had eaten ground beef purchased at Tabaka’s Supervalu and consumed either in private homes or at a dinner prepared at the Salem Lutheran Church in Longville had become ill with E. coli infections. Three people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and one person died.
And, several E. coli cases in Georgia:
Bauer Meat E. coli Litigation – Georgia
"It's on ground beef products in a Styrofoam tray with clear cellophane over it," Kroger spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said this morning. "It could have been purchased in cases or over the service counter.Gee, we are glad someone is coming clean. Kroger expanded its recall to include:
A spokesman for Kroger Stores in Ohio tonight is confirming one of their outlets sold meat that the Ohio Health Department found contaminated with E. coli. Local health officials were notified by the Ohio Department of Health that a ground-beef sample submitted by the Franklin County Board of Health has tested positive for E. coli.
That announcement was made Tuesday afternoon.
The testing was conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture Laboratory. Further DNA testing is currently pending at the Ohio Department of Health Laboratory to determine if there is a match to the human cases in Ohio.The NBC 4 story can be found here.
Three cases were reported by the Columbus Health Department, while the Franklin County Board of Health reported a fourth case involving a 14-year-old girl.
The Columbus Health Department and Franklin County Board of Health were in contact with the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to see if the pattern was similar to any others in the country.
The cases were called an outbreak because at least three of the seven cases of E. coli were genetically linked through DNA testing.Go here for more on this developing outbreak.
A 55-year-old Delaware County woman who was hospitalized for three days with an E. coli infection. She is now at home and being interviewed about where and what she ate before coming down with E. coli.
the intersection of a couple of highways. Still, it's experiencing an unusual share of food-borne illnesses.Since May 15, three children who attend Wonder World have been confirmed positive for a harmful strain of E. coli bacteria, a Minnesota Department of Health news release said. One child has been hospitalized with symptoms consistent with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a severe complication of the infection that affects the kidneys. About 13 other children have shown symptoms of illness and are being tested for E. coli, the release said.The state health department said the bacteria seem to have spread from child to child, instead of coming from a source at the preschool. Farm animals might be involved. For more, go here.
King 5 TV just reported that the Washington State Department of Health announced that nine confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection found in north Thurston and south Pierce counties (appears to be college students - food service) have been traced to bagged, commercial romaine lettuce.
Health officials say it's not the same type of lettuce you would buy in a grocery store. The Health Department says four cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection were identified in Thurston County, and six in Pierce County. Some of the people infected were hospitalized. The people who got sick all had salad or lettuce at different places, which means all of those places probably got their lettuce from a single source.You can read the complete version of E. coli Infections in Washington Traced to Restaurant Romaine Lettuce by going here.
Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., (EST. 245L), sold chubs of 85 percent lean, 15 percent fat coarse ground beef to Sherm’s Food-4-Less retail establishment in Medford, OR who then processed this ground beef into various sized packages of ground beef products and sold to consumers between May 7 and 19.
FSIS is issuing a public health alert rather than a recall because FSIS has confirmed that none of the affected products remain available for sale at this retail establishment. Consumers that may have purchased various sized packages of ground beef products at this retail establishment between May 7 and May 19 are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers and discard or return the ground beef products for a refund.
The problem was discovered after a microbiological test for E. coli O157:H7 was reported positive by another recipient of the product subject to this alert. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. Anyone with signs or symptoms of food-borne illness should consult a medical professional.Gee, recalls are not used if products have been sold? We are not sure we follow that reasoning.
Omaha's Midlands News Service is reporting on a private party in March that went bad, giving many of the guests a bad bout of E. coli. Site of the gathering was Sarpy County, which makes up the southern edge of Omaha's metro area. Midlands' Michael O'Connor reports:
State health officials are continuing to investigate an E. coli outbreak in Sarpy County that sickened 14 people -- including a 7-year-old -- and sent four people to the hospital.
Dr. Tom Safranek, state epidemiologist, said the outbreak was caused by roast beef served at a reception hall in Sarpy County for a private gathering on March 26. The meat was prepared at a person's home and brought to the event, he said.
He declined to say specifically where the meal was served or what the gathering was for.
The people affected ranged in age from 7 to 73. The four people who were hospitalized were released several weeks ago, he said.All of the people affected suffered abdominal cramping, diarrhea and in some cases bloody diarrhea, Safranek said.
Safranek said he believes the E. coli problem was contained to the roast beef served at the Sarpy County gathering. He said there currently is no evidence that people who have purchased or eaten roast beef in Nebraska are at risk.
The Midlands News Service story can be found here.
Texas health officials are investigating an E. coli outbreak that has already resulted in one death, apparently caused by a Shiga toxin carried by bacteria.
E. coli O157:H7 and other bacteria contain Shiga toxins, and can cause severe illness, including hemolytic uremic syndrome. The chain of events leading to HUS begins with ingestion of Shiga toxin producing E. coli or another Shiga toxin producing bacteria in contaminated food, beverages or through person to person transmission.
We wish we could say that a story today by The Courier-Journal makes us feel warm and fuzzy. Its about the soon-to-be forthcoming report from the State of Indiana on the last fall's E. coli outbreak at the Galena Elementary School in Floyd County.
The Louisville, KY newspaper says:
Indiana health officials have concluded that the E. coli outbreak in Floyd County last fall resulted in 15 confirmed or probable cases and that it likely began with one child who had environmental contact with the bacteria.
The Galena Elementary School outbreak was unusual because so many of the cases resulted in serious kidney damages. If as reported, Indiana health officials are going to put the outbreak on one unknown child, it will be disappointing.
The Courier Journal says:
According to the findings in the state report, one Galena Elementary School student—which one could not be determined—inadvertently brought the infection into the Floyds Knobs school, perhaps after contact with a cow or goat.
Those animals are reservoirs for the bacteria but don’t display symptoms of the illness. The E. coli was then spread by contact within the school or with siblings of infected students
The Courier Journal is relying upon Tom Harris, Floyd County health officer, for the tip that the report will be made public soon. The story can be found here.
William Tudor, the butcher jailed for food safety violations, after the meat he supplied schools in the United Kingdom killed young Mason Jones will not be testifying in the public inquiry now being held.
The death of Mason Jones and the illnesses of 118 confirmed cases of E. coli O17:H7, including 31 children who were sent to hospitals, is all connected to Butchers John Tudor and Son in Bridgend, which had the contract to supply cooked meat to the schools service in late 2005.
Tudor and Son was identified as the probable source and inspections found dangerous found hygiene practices, leading to cross contamination between raw and cooked meats, through which the E.coli O157 had been spread.
Tudor went to jail in September 2007 and won't be required to testify.
Marler Clark filed two E. coli lawsuits against Organic Pastures on February 7, 2008. The lawsuits were filed in Fresno County Superior Court on behalf of two children who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) secondary to E. coli O157:H7 infection after consuming Organic Pastures raw milk. 
Marti Davis of the Knoxville News Sentinel spoke with the McDonald family, whose two children became ill with E. coli infections last fall after eating Cargill ground beef patties.
Preschoolers John and Michaela McDonald shared a burger that led to a prolonged stay in intensive care and cost 4-year-old John part of his bowel and colon. The frozen hamburgers at Sam's Club near their West Knoxville home a few days before the patties were recalled.
Surgery to bypass John's digestive tract was reversed in December, and both children are well for now.
Only Jim McDonald, the children's father, has eaten ground beef since his children's illness. The rest of the family has not reintroduced ground beef into their diet.
The McDonald family, who is represented by Marler Clark, filed a lawsuit against Cargill last year, but has withdrawn the lawsuit in the hopes that Cargill will compensate the children for injuries they sustained through mediation instead of a jury trial.
Since last Saturday night when the federal Food Safety & Inspection Service went public with the recall of 188,000 pounds of ground beef from the Minnesota-based Rochester Meat Co., not much has happened.
Well, the profile of the California victim became known. It was reported this way in the local San Diego media:
A local teen's illness has been linked to a national beef recall.
The 17-year-old girl was not hospitalized and has since recovered.
But her case has health officials worried that others could become
sick, as well.
E. coli fears have led a Minnesota meat packer to recall nearly
200,000 pounds of ground beef patties.
The company ships its products to distributors around the country for
use in restaurants and other food service operations.
The recalled beef was not sold directly to consumers.
No, it was sold to restaurants, including perhaps just one national chain, who then sold it to consumers.
Yesterday, food safety attorney Bill Marler went on the attack over the lack of information on this recall coming from the impacted states and federal officials. From Marler:
Public health officials in Washington DC, California and Wisconsin are playing a dangerous game with American consumers by refusing to reveal the specific stores or restaurants that may have served meat contaminated by toxic E. coli, says the Seattle lawyer who represents victims of food-borne illness.
'The public needs to know who may have poisoned their kids,' said Bill Marler, managing partner of the Marler Clark law firm in Seattle.
Marler spoke up Sunday after health officials revealed that 188,000 pounds of ground beef was being recalled by the Rochester Meat Company, a Minnesota firm, because it has been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. This appears to be the first major recall of 2008. 2007 set a recent record for recalls - topping twenty recalls of over 33 million pounds of meat.
While announcing the nationwide recall, officials have refused to reveal the name of the restaurant or other outlets believed to have served the meat to consumers. That, Marler says, means that consumers who may be at risk of contracting potentially fatal food-poisoning have no way of knowing – until they get sick.
He called on Dr. Richard A. Raymond, head of Federal Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS), Kevin R. Hayden, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, and Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, to immediately disclose the names and locations of retail outlets that have been associated with the contaminated meat.
The Federal Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) persuaded Rochester Meat Company to issue the recall after investigations revealed that at least six people have been sickened in Wisconsin and California.
'We are hearing from the environmental health community that a national chain restaurant, or restaurants are connected with this recall,' Marler said. 'If so, these public officials are playing a very dangerous game. They are betting that nobody else gets sick because they had no way of knowing they were at risk.'
Marler said there are indications that state officials know of one or more restaurants where contaminated meat has been served and where consumers already have been sickened. 'The public has a right to know the name of that establishment and its involved locations, ' said Marler. ' If more than one is involved, the public has a right to know that too.'
Well said Mr. Marler! Maybe someone in the national media will light a fire under these agencies that are suppose to operate in the public interest.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to illnesses from Salmonella Newport associated with fresh ground beef products contaminated with multi-drug resistant Salmonella that may have been ground and sold at Safeway supermarkets in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico between Sept. 19 and Nov. 5, 2007.
This public health alert was initiated after epidemiological investigations and a case control study conducted by the California Department of Public Health, Arizona Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products and 38 illnesses reported in Arizona (16), California (18), Idaho (1) and Nevada (3). The illnesses were linked through the epidemiological investigation by their rare PFGE pattern found in PulseNet, a database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
American Foods Group of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has recalled over 95,000 pounds of ground beef products for E. coli contamination after the Illinois Department of Health confirmed consumers in that state had become ill with E. coli infections after eating AFG ground beef products.
American Foods Group of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has recalled over 95,000 pounds of ground beef products for E. coli contamination after the Illinois Department of Health confirmed consumers in that state had become ill with E. coli infections after eating AFG ground beef products.
The Tennessee State Department of Health and CDC are collaborating with public health officials in multiple states and the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service to investigate an ongoing multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections.
Frozen pizza that contained pepperoni and was produced by the General Mills company under the brand names of Totino's or Jeno's was the likely source of the illness.
As of November 1st, at least 21 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been collected. At least 8 people have been hospitalized, and 4 have developed a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
General Mills announced on November 1, 2007, that the company was recalling its Totino’s Crisp Crust Party pizzas and Jeno’s Crisp ‘N Tasty pizzas for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recall was initiated after over 20 people became ill with E. coli infections after eating the pizzas.Dr. Patricia Quinlisk of the Iowa Department of Public Health said Tuesday that either a person in western Iowa contracted a strain of E. coli that matches the DNA "fingerprint" of the E. coli bacterium involved in a national frozen pizza recall, or the person's history involves consumption of the tainted product.
The bacterium in the recall is blamed for sickening 23 people in 12 other states, including bordering states South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Quinlisk said the department has investigated three cases. Two did not match the strain found in the pepperoni in Totino's and Jeno's pizzas, but one case is still under investigation.
"We're still waiting for some further information," Quinlisk said Tuesday. "We don't know it's definitely here. Two (cases) were proved not to be here."
Ground beef patties produced by Topps Meat Company that were recalled for possible E. coli contamination in September are still on store shelves.
Over the past few weeks, 141 boxes of Topps burgers have been found at 12 stores, all in northern New Jersey except for one in Gloucester City in Camden County, according to the state Division of Consumer Affairs.
At least six people in New York had become ill with E. coli infections after eating Topps Meats' ground beef, and the investigation into these illnesses by the New York Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was what led to the resulting recall.
Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef products that may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The CDC announced that 38 confirmed illnesses had been tied to the outbreak in 9 states: Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Aubrey Anderson, a five-year-old from Sterling, Kansas, has been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, secondary to E. coli infection. Doctors believe she could remain hospitalized for 3-6 weeks.
Public health officials have not yet been able to determine the source of Aubrey's illness, unlike in the case of Courtney Hansen, an eight-year-old from Ellsworth, Wisconsin, who was recently released from the hospital after a five-week stay while she was treated for HUS.
In Courtney's case, the Pierce County Herald reported that she and her younger twin sisters all became ill with E. coli infections after eating wind-fall apples.
Benefits are being planned to raise money for medical expenses.
Marler Clark has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Knoxville, Tennessee, residents Jim and Georgia McDonald and their two children, who both became ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections and were hospitalized after eating hamburgers made from Cargill ground beef patties.
Four-year-old John McDonald was seen in the emergency room, where he was treated for dehydration and released. The next day, he was taken by ambulance to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and was admitted. While hospitalized, John developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, pancreatitis, compromised liver function, and bowel necrosis.
He was later transferred to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for dialysis, and on October 16th underwent surgery to have part of his bowel removed. After nearly a month’s hospitalization, John was discharged from the hospital, but has not yet fully recovered from his E. coli infection and the following complications.
One-year-old Michaela McDonald fell ill with symptoms of E. coli infection about a day after John, and was treated for dehydration at the emergency room. Michaela was then admitted to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. When her brother was transferred to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Michaela was also transferred. She remained hospitalized for over a week.
Since mid-2007, 33,000,000 pounds of hamburger has been recalled, according to the Des Moines Register. There have been hundreds of illnesses and several reported deaths.
There were six cases of E. coli reported in Polk County in October, according to the Polk County Health Department, which officials said is a typical number.
During the month, a 16-month-old girl and a 17-month-old boy who attended the same Urbandale child care center were infected with E. coli. In July, the Iowa Department of Public Health issued a warning after three children developed illnesses linked to a rare strain of E. coli. The children, all 5 years and younger, were not hospitalized. Two of the three children visited private and municipal pools before getting sick, health department officials said at the time.
At least 21 people have become ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections after eating Totino's or Jeno's brand pizzas produced by General Mills.
The victims of this most recent E. coli outbreak are from Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
A USDA press release warns consumers who have Totino's or Jeno's brand pizzas in their freezers that were produced before October 30, 2007, should not consume the pizzas.
Meat recalled a month ago that could be contaminated with E. coli was found in seven northern New Jersey stores, state consumer safety officials said Tuesday.
Inspectors in the past week have seized 138 boxes of frozen hamburgers made by Topps Meat Co., which issued a nationwide recall on Sept. 29 for 21.7 million pounds of frozen patties.
Four of the stores, all in Jersey City, were located after a distributor was subpoenaed by the state Division of Consumer Affairs and provided shop names and locations. Inspectors found the other three while visiting nearly 200 stores in Hudson County
State authorities have not determined when the meat was delivered to the stores.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced that in a joint investigation between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and FSIS, investigators had determined that Ranchers Beef, a Canadian company, had supplied E. coli-contaminated beef trimmings to Topps.
The agency also announced that Ranchers Beef, Ltd., has been "delisted" since October 20, meaning the company has not been eligible to export meat to the United States since that date.
Topps has expanded an earlier recall to include 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products for possible E. coli contamination. The recall was initiated after illnesses associated with the products were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, and several other states. As of October 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had identified 40 illnesses under investigation as being part of the outbreak.
Sidney Jacobi, a 6-year-old child who is part of the E. coli outbreak among Galena Elementary School students, is home from the hospital.
Sidney sustained the most serious injures of any child hospitalized during the outbreak, suffering hemolytic uremic syndrome, which caused kidney failure. Although Sidney is still recovering, high blood pressure is still a concern.
Follow-up treatment for victims of E. coli and hemolytic uremic syndrome is very important, and all persons who have experienced HUS should be formally evaluated by a nephrologist at a year following their acute illness.
A lawsuit seeking punitive damages was filed today against Topps, the New Jersey beef supplier that recalled nearly a year's supply of frozen ground beef patties after its products were identified as the source of an E. coli outbreak in September.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Keith and Kristin Goodwin and their 8-year-old son, Lucas, by Seattle-based Marler Clark and Rochester-based Underberg & Kessler.
The lawsuit states that Topps had knowledge of consumer illness tied to its products and a positive E. coli sample from its ground beef patties no later than September 8th, seven days before Kristin and Lucas Goodwin ate Topps hamburgers.
Kristin was released from the hospital on September 26th, but Lucas developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and remained hospitalized for eight days. While they were hospitalized, Topps recalled 332,000 pounds of ground beef products. The company later expanded the recall to include 21.7 million pounds of ground beef.
E. coli cases have sprung up across the nation in recent weeks. Some of these cases have been traced back to the millions of pounds of ground beef that have been recalled by Cargill and Topps, but in other cases a source has not been identified.
Of recent news reported:
Seattle attorney William Marler called today on Cargill to front medical costs for victims of an E. coli outbreak traced to the company's frozen ground beef patties. Victims of the outbreak include families of children who have been hospitalized in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
“Without assistance in the form of monetary compensation for medical expenses and lost wages, many of the families with members in the hospital will face financial hardship in the coming months when the bills start coming in,” said Marler, who filed a lawsuit against Cargill on behalf of a Minnesota family yesterday. “Cargill should do the right thing and begin compensating victims of this outbreak for those most basic needs now. Of course, Cargill will still be responsible for the costs of long-term medical care for victims, but it is better to step up now.”
An E. coli lawsuit was filed today in Minnesota against Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, the meat company whose frozen ground beef products were identified as the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in September and October.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Dakota County residents Eric and Jennifer Gustafson and their two children, Callie and Carson, who both suffered E. coli infections after eating Cargill ground beef patties at a barbecue.
The Gustafson children’s cases were two of three E. coli cases that triggered an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture which eventually led to Cargill’s recall of 845,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties for E. coli contamination. The Cargill products were sold at retail establishments, including Sam’s Club, and to restaurants and other institutions throughout the United States.
Three students from Wisconsin and two North Carolina children were added to the number of E. coli illnesses caused by consumption of E. coli-contaminated ground beef patties produced by Cargill and sold by Sam's Club today.
The Wisconsin students all ate hamburgers served at a cookout before a soccer game on campus. The North Carolina children had both attended a cookout where hamburgers were served.
Sam's Club has pulled more than 840,000 pounds of patties nationwide.
An E. coli outbreak among children who attend Galena Elementary School may not have come from a source inside or close to the school.
DNA test results have shown a link between the strain of the E. coli in the Galena cases with an isolated case reported outside the county in August.
“This finding suggests that outbreak strain may have been circulating in the community or the environment prior to the outbreak,” says Dr. Tom Harris, Floyd County health officer. “Some cases do not attend Galena Elementary School nor reside in Floyd County.”
State and county health officials would not identify the location of the isolated case.
Marler Clark client Emily McDonald's mom Catherine is thankful that doctors did not treat her daughter with antibiotics without knowing whether she was suffering from E. coli or not. The administration of antibiotics is believed to be a potential contributing factor to children developing hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Antibiotics and painkillers can slow the expulsion of the bacteria from the body and cause more complications, said Josh Schaffzin, the state Department of Health's medical director of the regional epidemiology program.
Emily has been able to start school with her third-grade classmates at St. Pius X School in Loudonville. She's returned to her soccer team and is starting saxophone lessons.
Topps Meat Company, LLC, of Elizabeth, N.J., has voluntarily expanded its Sept. 25 recall to include a total of approximately 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
The Minnesota Department of Health have announced that ground beef patties purchased from Sam's Club stores in Minnesota have been identified as the source of an E. coli outbreak.
Hamburger patties purchased from Sam's Club stores in Eagan, Maple Grove and White Bear Lake have been implicated as the cause of 4 cases of E. coli infection.
All four cases were children. Two of the cases developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and were hospitalized. One case has been discharged and one remains hospitalized.
The brand name of the implicated frozen ground beef patties was “American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties.”
Topps Meat Company, the company whose ground beef products were identified as the source of an E. coli outbreak and recalled over 21 million pounds of ground beef in recent weeks, closed today. It is closing its business six days after it was forced to issue the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history and 67 years after it first opened its doors.
USDA officials also acknowledged that the recall could have been announced much faster, admitting that a positive E. coli sample from Topps brand meat was identified weeks before the recall was announced.
Topps began recalling frozen hamburger patties that may have been contaminated with the E. coli bacteria strain O157:H7. The recall eventually ballooned to 21.7 million pounds of ground beef.
Topps Chief Operating Officer Anthony D'Urso, told the Jeff Gold of the Associated Press that a few employees will remain at the processing facility to help USDA scientists investigate the source of the E. coli outbreak, but that the company would not reopen.
Thirty people in eight states had E. coli infections matching the strain found in the Topps patties, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. None have died. The decision will cost 87 people their jobs.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the USDA knew of a positive E. coli test from a meat sample and a human sample over two weeks before a recall was initiated in regards to Topps Meat Company.
Amanda Eamich, a USDA spokeswoman, said that the USDA's recall committee first met on Sept. 25 to consider the Topps case, 18 days after E. coli was confirmed in a Topps hamburger, according to Robertson's e-mail, which was provided to the Tribune.
The committee, comprised of department officials, concluded then that it should request a Class I recall of the Topps meat. Class I is the USDA's most serious recall class. It means that there is "a reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death."
The number of E. coli infections tied to Galena Elementary School in Floyd County, Indiana, has risen to ten.
Among the ten sickened, seven have been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome in Louisville, Kentucky. Three of the cases are not students.
Seven children have been hospitalized for E. coli infections, but Kosair Children's Hospital says federal privacy laws prohibited him from identifying them or describing their conditions, reports the Indianapolis Star.
A lawsuit has been filed against Topps Meat Company, the meat producer whose ground beef products have been identified as the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, and who expanded a ground beef recall to include 21.7 million pounds of meat over the weekend.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Albany County, New York, residents Robert and Catherine McDonald and their young daughter, who became ill with an E. coli O157:H7 infection and was hospitalized after eating a hamburger made of Topps Meats ground beef
The Oregonian today reported on an E. coli outbreak at the Clackamas County Fair in August. According to the story, the Clackamas fair board will put up more signs regarding hand washing for next year's fair.
Health investigators said today the outbreak spread to one additional person but is now contained. E. coli infections can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps and kidney failure. Those who became sick in August have recovered or are recovering.


This year's outbreak is larger than the one from the Clackamas County Fair in 2006, when the bacteria infected four people, sending one to the hospital, said William Keene, an epidemiologist for the Oregon Public Health Division.
A Topps Meats, of Elizabeth, New Jersey press release reported that at least 21 people in eight states could be part of an E. coli outbreak that has been traced back to consumption of ground beef products produced by their company. The CDC has confirmed three cases linked to Topps, and is waiting on lab testing for confirmation of an additional 18 cases, according to the Associated Press.
Health officials found contaminated burgers in one New York victim's home freezer. The boxes recalled carry the number "Est. 9748" inside the USDA mark and were produced on June 22, July 12 or July 23.


The recalled products include certain 10-pound boxes of Butcher's Best 100% All Beef Patties; certain 10-pound boxes of Kohler Foods burgers; certain 10-pound boxes of Sand Castle Fine Meat; some 2-pound boxes of Topps 100% Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers; and some 3-pound boxes of Topps 100% Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers.
The United States Department of Agriculture announced yesterday that Topps is recalling 331,582 pounds of frozen ground beef. The recall was announced after an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak investigation identified Topps ground beef products as the source of an E. coli outbreak.
According to the Albany Times/Union, the E. coli outbreak was discovered by the New York Department of Agriculture, which was investigating several E. coli cases among New York residents.
Information about the recall, supplied by the USDA, is as follows: Each package also bears the establishment number “Est. 9748” inside the USDA mark of inspection.


The frozen ground beef products were produced on June 22, July 12 or July 23 and were distributed to food service institutions in the New York metropolitan area and to retail establishments nationwide.

An investigation into a cluster of illnesses in the Northeast region carried out by the New York State Department of Health in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention led to a positive product sample collected by the New York Department of Health.


In August, 2005, an eight-year-old Albany, New York girl became ill with an E. coli O157:H7 infection after eating a hamburger purchased from Price Chopper. The ground beef used in the hamburger had been supplied to Price Chopper by Topps Meats.
A six-year-old first grade student at Galena Elementary School in Indiana has been hospitalized with kidney failure after she developed hemolytic uremic syndrome following an E. coli infection, according to WLKY news.
The child is one of six students at the school who have been confirmed as suffering E. coli infections, with five cases unconfirmed but possibly linked to the outbreak. The state health department has joined the outbreak investigation, and is sending three additional investigators to help determine the source of the outbreak. The school has been thoroughly cleaned but parents are still concerned about the safety of their kids.


State Health Officials said they are sending three more specialists to Floyd County to help track down the source of an E. coli infection. Two food specialists and a second epidemiologist are scheduled to inspect the school Tuesday.
The Maine Centers for Disease Control is investigating six cases of E. coli infection, and is working to determine the source of a potential outbreak, according to a story posted on the Bangor Daily News website. Four of the six cases in Kennebec, Androscoggin, Lincoln and Franklin counties have been confirmed positive for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 by the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, state epidemiologist Dr. Kathleen F. Gensheimer confirmed Friday.
Two other cases are pending and one other suspected case is under investigation, according to the health advisory issued by the CDC. Those afflicted, including one who was hospitalized, had bloody diarrhea, one of the common symptoms.

Gensheimer said Friday that two of the three cases are unrelated, a fact revealed through genetic testing. No place, event or food has been identified as a link in the investigation, she said.
Elsewhere, an E. coli outbreak has been traced to a restaurant, according to WAND TV.com. The El Rancherito restaurant in Effingham, Illinois, has been identified as the source of an E. coli outbreak that has resulted in at least six confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 among customers who ate at the El Rancherito restaurant in Effingham between September 11th and September 13th.
The health department says it has six confirmed cases of E. coli 0157. They are all linked to eating at El Rancherito restaurant in Effingham at I-57 and I-70. The health department says the restaurant is cooperating and has been closed since Thursday.

The people affected ate there between September 11th and the 13th. Their illnesses started between the 14th and 17th. There is no word on their conditions.
An investigation into two E. coli-infected students from Galena Elementary School in Indiana is ongoing. The News and Tribune reported that a second has been hospitalized with similar symptoms, school officials confirmed Friday afternoon.

“We don’t know the details, but we can say that the health department is investigating one confirmed and one suspected of E. coli,” said Bill Briscoe, assistant superintendent of operations and administration for the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp.

Both students, who were not identified, were hospitalized on Thursday. The Floyd County Department of Health confirmed in a news release at least one case of E. coli on Friday morning and said it suspected the other, but didn’t reveal further details.
USA Today featured a detailed timeline of last year's spinach outbreak - from the first death to the discovery that spinach was the source of the outbreak to the fifth death and how the spinach industry and federal investigators and regulators responded during the crises and beyond.
Marler Clark client Jillian Kohl stated in the article: "By the time I am 40 to 45 years old, I could be laying in a bed hooked up to dialysis machines again. I know death is inevitable, but sometimes it feels like quite a load to carry, knowing a rough timeline has potentially been put on my life."
Yesterday, an Idaho woman was added to the list of people who became ill with E. coli O157:H7 infections after eating ground beef produced by a Clackamas, Oregon meat producer and consumers were warned to check their freezers for potentially contaminated ground beef products. Illnesses associated with the outbreak have been reported in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
This morning, Alex Pulaski of the Oregonian reported that a Bend, Oregon, resident helped Oregon health officials determine the source of her E. coli illness and establish a link to the Washington and Idaho cases.
Amber Wark, one of the family members who had fallen ill, discovered a telling clue Saturday morning while taking it on herself to rummage through a dozen garbage bags in a trailer bed: packaging for 4 pounds of ground beef.
The wrappers led state epidemiologists, federal agricultural inspectors and Washington health authorities back to Interstate Meat Distributors Inc. in Clackamas, which had ground the meat that Wark bought July 29 at Safeway.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today that Interstate Meat Dist., Inc., of Clackamas, Oregon, was recalling 41,305 pounds of ground beef products for potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. The recall was announced after at least eight people in Oregon and Washington became ill with E. coli infections after eating the ground beef products.
This public health alert was initiated after epidemiological investigations conducted by the State of Oregon Department of Health Services and the Washington State Department of Health determined that there is a possible link between the ground beef products and eight confirmed E. coli O157:H7 illnesses reported in Oregon and Washington.
The products subject to this public health alert include:
WAFF reported this morning that one of the victims of an E. coli outbreak traced back to Little Rosie's Mexican restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama, has died. The victim, whose name was not released, became ill with an E. coli infection in July, and developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of E. coli infection.
The woman was one of the first to develop the E. coli bacteria in her bloodstream in July, and had spent the last several weeks in the hospital.
The family says the bacteria acted at least as a catalyst in their loved one's death. She passed away Wednesday morning.
The only common denominator among the cases health department officials could find was shredded lettuce served at Little Rosie's, a Mexican restaurant in Huntsville.
Health officials have not yet released information on whether they were able to identify a specific food served at Little Rosie's that was the source of the E. coli outbreak.
Health officials in Colorado are investigating an E. coli outbreak among children in Eagle County. Several cases have been confirmed in children under 5. The county is focusing on swimming pools and child-care centers in its investigation.
In the summer of 1998, 26 children became ill from E. coli O157:H7 contracted while playing in the kiddie pool at White Water Park, a commercial water park in suburban Atlanta. Seven of those children were hospitalized and a 2-year-old boy died from hemolytic uremic syndrome, a kidney disorder caused by E. coli O157:H7.
In August of 2000, the Kindercare facility located on Lexington Drive in Folsom, California, was traced as the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Health department officials who investigated the outbreak determined that the probable “index case” – a child who unknowingly brought the bacteria into the facility – experienced “explosive diarrhea at the daycare on the afternoon of 8-3-00.”
Tomorrow marks one year since E. coli-contaminated spinach was harvested from a field in California's Salinas Valley. One month from today will mark a year from the date US health officials - the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control - confirmed that that spinach was the source of a nationwide E. coli outbreak, and announced that all bagged spinach products were being recalled for possible E. coli contamination.
Earthbound Farms, which is the largest producer of gourmet salad greens, hired food safety microbiologist Mansour Samadpour to set up a testing lab just days after the outbreak was traced to the company's products. Dr. Samadpour instituted a testing regimen that is the most aggressive in the leafy greens industry. All products are now checked for pathogens when they arrive at the processing plant and when they are through processing.
Today, Hawaiian health officials announced that an E. coli outbreak in March has been traced to lettuce grown on Kaua'i.
All eight people were most likely infected by eating contaminated lettuce from a Kaua'i farm, where heavy rains and flooding had carried E. coli bacteria from a cattle pasture onto the lettuce patch.
Officials declined to name the farm they suspect was the source of the lettuce.
The state Department of Health said that the eight victims, including the four who required hospital care, have recovered without complications from the outbreak of a strain of E. coli O157, whose symptoms include abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea and which in severe cases can cause kidney failure.
An article for the Huntsville Times gave an account of the homecoming of Samuel Coggin, a five-year-old boy who became ill with an E. coli O157:H7 infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating at Little Rosie's restaurant in Huntsville.
Samuel spent about three weeks on dialysis after the dangerous E. coli O157:H7 bacteria caused his kidneys to fail, a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Nineteen people became ill with E. coli infections after eating at Little Rosie's Taqueria inn July. Three people were hospitalized, including Samuel. The other to people who developed HUS remain hospitalized. One is in serious condition at Huntsville Hospital, and the other is hospitalized at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.
Health officials say the Huntsville outbreak most likely was caused by contaminated lettuce served at Little Rosie's between June 27 and June 30. Eighteen of the 19 known victims ate at the popular Mexican restaurant on Whitesburg Drive on those dates; the other infected person did not eat at Little Rosie's and caught the bacteria another way.
Three Little Rosie's customers have been in the hospital since about July 4 undergoing dialysis for kidney damage.
Several reports indicate that 7 people who became ill with E. coli infections earlier this summer were infected after eating contaminated ground beef.
All seven patients, including an 8-year-old North Carolina girl who was hospitalized after her kidneys shut down, are recovering, Dr. Humayun J. Chaudhry, the Suffolk County health commissioner, said Tuesday.
Chaudhry stressed that no specific brand of ground beef has been identified; it was purchased at various locations around Long Island. He also said the majority of those who became ill between June 9 and July 3 were believed to have eaten the beef products at local barbecues and not at restaurants.
He said federal and local health officials are continuing to investigate, but early findings suggest the E. coli contamination is not specific to Suffolk.
Seven people in Suffolk County were sickened in recent weeks after eating undercooked ground beef contaminated with E. coli bacteria, county health officials said Monday.
In one case, an 8-year-old North Carolina girl was hospitalized for about two weeks when her kidneys shut down, said Dr. Patricia Dillon, director of communicable diseases for Suffolk's health department. The girl, who was visiting friends and family here, was recently released from the hospital, Dillon said. Officials said the meat was of different brands and was purchased at several supermarkets and grocery stores. Test results showed that the bacteria strain in three of Suffolk's cases matched cases reported in Minnesota, California and Michigan. "Preliminary findings suggest the E. coli O157:H7 contamination is not specific to Suffolk, but it is part of a larger national food supply concern," health officials said in a news release.
Interestingly, Abbott's Meat Inc., a Flint, Michigan, establishment, recalled approximately 26,669 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 in the last few days according to FSIS. I posted yesterday on the increasing number of E. coli cases tied to red meat that we have been seeing over the last few months.
In what is now the largest E. coli outbreak in Alabama in 20 years, 18 people who ate at Little Rosie's restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama, have been confirmed as suffering from E. coli O157:H7 infections, and testing is being conducted to determine whether there are additional victims of the outbreak.
The Huntsville Times reports that two people remain hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, and a third hospitalized E. coli victim's status was not available.
The newest confirmed victims are a 65-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman. Neither got sick enough to need hospital care.
Although state and county health officials point to shredded lettuce as the most likely culprit, Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in foodborne illness cases, said he suspects that the outbreak ultimately will be tied to ground beef.
An E. coli outbreak in Huntsville, Alabama, that has sickened numerous customers of Little Rosie's and has sent at least three people to the hospital with hemolytic uremic syndrome, was caused by contaminated lettuce, according to the Madison County Health Department. The Huntsville Times reports that health officials have not determined when the lettuce became contaminated - if it was before or after it entered the restaurant, but they are looking into the possibility that the lettuce was cross-contaminated before it was served.
Five-year-old Samuel Coggin of Meridianville started dialysis Wednesday morning at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville. Two adults whose names have not been released are also hospitalized with kidney problems: a 48-year-old woman in critical condition at Huntsville Hospital and a 70-year-old woman undergoing dialysis in Asheville, N.C.
Dr. Debra Williams, the Huntsville-Madison County Health Department's assistant director, said 16 people who ate at Little Rosie's Taqueria late last month have now tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 poisoning. A 17th E. coli victim did not eat at the Whitesburg Drive restaurant and was sickened by a different source, she said.
Three more restaurant customers who were hospitalized with symptoms of E. coli exposure have tested negative, Williams said.
E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically "pre-washed" and "ready-to-eat" varieties, are by no means a new phenomenon.
In October 2003, thirteen residents of a California retirement home were sickened, and two people died, after eating E. coli-contaminated, pre-washed spinach; in September 2003, nearly forty patrons of a California restaurant chain fell ill after eating salads prepared with bagged, pre-washed lettuce. In July 2002, over fifty young women fell ill with E. coli O157:H7 at a dance camp after eating “pre-washed” lettuce, leaving several hospitalized and one with life-long kidney damage.
Twenty or more E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks since 1995 have spinach or lettuce was the source. Several more outbreaks linked to contaminated leafy-produce, including most recently the September 2005 Dole packaged lettuce outbreak.
Once the investigation was completed, a final report on the outbreak was prepared by the California Food Emergency Response Team (CalFERT), a team comprised of members from the FDA and the California Department of Health Services. The Final Report is replete with facts damning of all those involved in the growing, harvesting, processing, distribution, and sale of the implicated spinach products.
The Final Report also faulted with NSF’s procedures for monitoring the quality of processing-water, its record-keeping, and its inability to demonstrate that harvesting bins were being washed to prevent cross-contamination.
The Buffalo Trace District Health Department has confirmed three cases of E. coli poisoning in the area.
According to Tim Stump, director of the district health department, the three individuals reside in Bracken and Fleming counties but were all diagnosed at Meadowview Regional Medical Center. All three individuals are juveniles, Stump said, and two are believed to be still hospitalized.
There have been reports of as many as seven cases of E. coli poisoning, but Stump said he is only aware of, and has only confirmed, the three.
Three Eastern Iowa children have recovered from a rare strain of E. coli, health officials said Monday.
Kevin Teale, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Health, said the three were not hospitalized from the strain, called enterohemorrhagic E. coli O26. He would not identify where the children - all age 5 or under - live in Eastern Iowa. All were in the same county.
Possible sources of infection, including splash pads, wading pools and contact with farm kittens, were identified in two cases, but no link was established with the third case. Teale said two of the children had visited both private and municipal pools.
Lab work performed at University Hygienic Laboratory found that all three strains matched, he said.
Federal prosecutors have decided against charging companies involved in the September 2006 E. coli outbreak traced to contaminated spinach.
Following the outbreak, which led to the deaths of three people and sickened about 200 others, FBI agents raided two produce processing plants and several farms for evidence of environmental and food-safety violations. The investigation did not find that growers or processors had deliberately skirted the law or were negligent in preventing tainted foods from entering the marketplace, said U.S. Attorney Scott Schools.
Authorities had searched plants in October run by Growers Express LLC in Salinas and Natural Selection Foods LLC in San Juan Bautista, as well as farms in Santa Clara, Monterey and San Benito counties.
The outbreak last August and September caused 205 illnesses in 26 states and killed two elderly women and a toddler. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that about 4,000 people were sickened by the spinach, taking into account that relatively few cases typically are reported.
The companies involved in the spinach E. coli outbreak still face civil litigation.
The Captain's Galley restaurant in China Grove, N.C. is closed indefinitely after a recent E. coli outbreak that health officials believe is probably connected to a slaughtered goat.
Cable News 14 from Charlotte, North Carolina reported on the bizarre practice of allowing employees to slaughter a goat in a restaurant.
An 86-year-old woman died last week after suffering from complications from an E. coli infection and many more people can become sick. Now residents are reacting to the disturbing happening at the popular restaurant.
Seattle-based Marler Clark law firm struck back in a lawsuit filed suit yesterday alleging negligence against meat producer PM Beef and retailer Lund Food Holdings.
According to Minnesota Lawyer, Anne Herwig was one of seven Minnesotans infected with E. coli bacteria this spring, leading PM Beef to voluntarily recall 117,500 pounds of beef trim products.
The lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court seeks undisclosed damages for Herwig's pain and suffering, medical expenses and emotional distress. The bug can cause severe stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea, with complications leading to kidney failure.
A woman infected with E. coli has died in a Rowan County hospital.
Rowan Regional Medical Center officials say 86-year-old Faye Sides died yesterday of multiple organ failure related to the infection. Sides was 1 of 20 people who ate at a restaurant in China Grove and became ill about three weeks ago.
The first lawsuit stemming from an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak traced to ground beef produced by United Food Group, Inc. was filed yesterday in Riverside County Superior Court, in California.
The lawsuit was filed against UFG by Seattle-based Marler Clark and San Diego-based Gordon and Holmes on behalf of Lawrence Fournier and Cynthia Centura of Hemet, California, whose four-year-old daughter, Lauren, became ill with an E. coli infection and was hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a severe, life-threatening complication of E. coli infection that can lead to kidney failure, after eating UFG ground beef.
“The meat industry has made significant progress in preventing E. coli outbreaks traced to meat products in the last five years,” said William Marler, who has dedicated his law practice to representing victims of foodborne illness outbreaks since representing over 100 victims of the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. “One has to ask, ‘Who dropped the ball at UFG?’”
On June 3, 2007, UFG recalled 75,000 pounds of ground beef due to potential E. coli O157:H7 contamination. After additional testing and more reported illnesses, UFG expanded the recall on June 6 to include 370,000 pounds of ground beef. By June 9, UFG had again expanded its recall to include a total of approximately 5.7 million pounds of both fresh and frozen ground beef products.
The California Department of Health Services, the Colorado Department of Health, and the CDC reported 14 illnesses associated with the outbreak – 6 in Arizona, 3 in California, 2 in Colorado, 1 in Idaho, 1 in Utah, and 1 in Wyoming.
The Rowan County Health Department has eight confirmed cases of E. coli and is tracking seven potential cases, reports the Independent Tribune.
Health Director Leonard Wood said calls about illness from the bacteria have decreased. “We’re beginning to see a slowdown in calls,” Wood said. “We don’t know the final number, but things have slowed down.”
The latest case was confirmed on Tuesday, Cabarrus Health Director Fred Pilkington said. Last week, Rowan and Cabarrus health officials began an investigation when residents complained of E. coli-like symptoms. The investigation led officials to Captain’s Galley Seafood Restaurant in China Grove.
The latest technology allowed scientists at the Colorado Department of Health and