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

Another E. coli lawsuit will be filed today against grocery chain Schnucks Supermarkets and Oklahoma-based romaine lettuce distributor Vaughan Foods. According to a complaint filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court, 61-year old Charles Meyer ate romaine lettuce from a Cool Valley, Missouri Schnucks location on several occasions prior to October 24, 2011 when he began experiencing painful gastrointestinal symptoms indicative of an E. coli infection including bloody diarrhea. The symptoms persisted and Mr. Meyer visited the doctor’s office on October 26 where he was diagnosed with food poisoning and sent to the emergency room for treatment. While in the ER, Mr. Meyer gave a stool sample which ultimately tested positive for a strain of E. coli associated with an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce sold at Schnucks supermarkets. He was then admitted to St. John’s Mercy Hospital where he was treated until discharged on October 30.

On or about October 14, 2010, 14-year-old MK and her mother Lois Kirby shopped at the Costco warehouse store located at 8686 Park Meadows Center, Lone Tree, Colorado. MK ate a sample of Bravo Farms’ gouda cheese that was contaminated by E. coli O157:H7. Within a few days, MK began to feel ill and quickly developed gastrointestinal symptoms including severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea. On or about October 19, 2010, Lois and Glyn Kirby had to rush MK to a local urgent care clinic. Diagnostic tests, at that point, did not reveal that MK had been infected by E. coli O157:H7. Her parents rushed her to Phoenix Children’s Hospital the next morning. At the hospital, MK continued to suffer from severe symptoms, and required intravenous fluids for rehydration, as well as narcotic pain medication. After hours spent in the emergency department, the physicians treating MK acknowledged that they could do little more than keep MK hydrated. MK continued to suffer symptoms of her E. coli O157:H7 infection, and required additional care by her regular pediatrician. MK continues to recover from her illness.

Another woman who says she was hospitalized two years ago because of an E. coli infection is suing the Boulder sandwich shop that was closed temporarily after an outbreak of the illness and the company that provided sprouts to the store.

In a lawsuit filed Sept. 20 in Boulder County Court — just meeting the statute of limitations — Sophia Wolf said she went to Jimmy John's at 1125 13th St. on Sept. 20, 2008, and ordered and ate a sandwich that contained sprouts. Within a few days, Wolf said in the lawsuit, she started getting stomach pains that included symptoms like nausea vomiting and diarrhea that turned bloody.

She went to the emergency room at Boulder Community Hospital on Sept. 26, according to the lawsuit, and underwent tests. While waiting for the results, Wolf said in the lawsuit, she continued to suffer from symptoms and lost about 15 pounds.

A short time later, she was notified that she tested positive for having the E. coli bacteria in her system — the same strain that 17 other people had tested positive for in the Boulder area around that time, according to the lawsuit. Boulder County Public Health later concluded that the source of the outbreak was alfalfa sprouts and secondary person-to-person transmission at the Boulder Jimmy John's store.

The sprouts that were provided to Jimmy John's were manufactured and sold by Sprouts Extraordinaire in Denver. Shamrock Foods and Sysco Food Services Denver distributed the sprouts, according to the lawsuit.   Numerous defendants named in the lawsuit include Sprouts Extraordinaire, Jimmy John's, Shamrock Foods and Sysco Denver.

In October of 2008, a University of Colorado student was first to file a lawsuit in connection with the E. coli outbreak. Katie Pendleton sued the operator of the Boulder Jimmy John's after she said she was hospitalized twice after eating there.  That case was resolved, but the judgement has been sealed.

According to the Fresno Bee this morning, the Big Fresno Fair has agreed to pay $2.2 million to a Fresno girl who got sick from a strain of E. coli after visiting its petting zoo in 2005. Marler Clark worked with Fresno attorney Warren Paboojian -- who represented Angela Malos, the girl who was sickened by the bacteria -- informed Fresno County Superior Court Judge Donald Black of the settlement in a Friday hearing. Angela, who is now 6 and in the first grade, was 2 when she became ill after visiting the zoo with her family. She will live with the effects of the bacteria exposure for the rest of her life, Paboojian said.

"This has altered Angela's life," he said after the hearing. Angela suffered strokes and kidney failure leading to dialysis. She recovered and is fine mentally, said her father, former KMPH (Channel 26.1) anchor John Malos, but the infection permanently affected her motor skills, requiring a full-time aide at school. She also has very limited vision in her right eye from the bacteria.

For more information on past Petting Zoo and Fair outbreaks, visit www.fair-safety.com.