E Coli Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : E. coli Blog

The year 2007 is going to be remembered for the big beef recalls due to E. coli returning with a vengeance. All totaled meat producers were forced to recall over 33.3 million pounds of beef products.

Topping the list was the 21.7 million pound recall due to E. coli that sent the New Jersey-based Topps Foods into bankruptcy. When United Food Group in June was forced to recall 5.7 million pounds of E. coli-laced ground beef, no one would have guessed it was going to lead to a second half of 2007 that found E. coli in beef just like the bad old days.

E. coli forced the recall of 3.3 million pounds of Totino’s and Jeno’s frozen meat pizzas. In two separate recalls, Cargill had to recall over 1.9 million pounds of beef they had contaminated with the deadly E. coli pathogen.

Most of the big recalls of 2007 remain on the active case list of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The percentage of recalled products actually returned to manufacturers is often pretty low.

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The Times-Tribune reported over the weekend that Vickie Shelton, a Knox County resident, passed away on Monday, November 26th at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington after being admitted.  According to the story, Ms. Shelton had eaten ground beef before becoming ill, and public health officials are conducting tests to determine whether that ground beef was contaminated with E. coli.

As reported by the Times-Tribune:

Officials at the U.S. Department of Heath in Fayette County are testing samples of ground beef Shelton had reportedly consumed prior to becoming sick. American Foods Group of Green Bay, Wisc. issued the recall on products produced in October and reportedly shipped to retailers and distributors in seven states including Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.

The recall, issued Nov. 24, is a class 1 recall with health risks listed as “high.” American Foods Group voluntarily recalled approximately 95,927 pounds of various coarse and fine ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service stated in a news release.

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Sharon Smith, the mother of Stephanie Smith, a Minnesota resident who has been hospitalized for months after eating a hamburger and becoming ill with E. coli poisoning, spoke with Kirsti Marohn of the St. Cloud Times for an article that appeared in today's paper.  She shared the story of the few days before Stephanie became ill with symptoms of E. coli infection, and of her hospitalization. 

The 20-year-old dance instructor has undergone intensive medical treatment while doctors work to support her body.  Five days after becoming ill, Stephanie was hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome and was placed in a coma when she began having seizures.  As Kristi Marohn wrote:

Two months later, she remains in critical condition at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, fighting for her life against a severe case of E. coli poisoning.

Doctors have told Sharon that Stephanie remains extremely critical. She was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, caused when E. coli toxins enter the bloodstream.

The severity of her case is very rare, similar to only a handful of others worldwide. Still, Sharon hasn’t given up hope that her only daughter, with her wide smile and warm personality, will pull through.

There are hopeful signs. Stephanie’s kidneys have started functioning again, and she no longer needs dialysis. But there are setbacks, too. Her tongue has swelled so doctors have had to prop her mouth open and put an oxygen mask on her. So far, attempts to lower the coma-inducing drugs have resulted in more seizures. She continues to breathe with the help of a respirator.

Stephanie's is one of the most severe E. coli cases reported on in recent years, but she is not alone.  Other E. coli victims from outbreaks this fall have also been hospitalized for lengthy periods - at least one other in a coma. 

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In September, an E. coli outbreak among students at Galena Elementary School perplexed health officials.  Several children became ill with E. coli and a source of the outbreak was elusive.  The sibling of two students at Galena Elementary battled an E. coli infection during the outbreak, and continues to recover after being on dialysis.  His mother has been hospitalized since she became ill with E. coli over 52 days ago. 

WAVE3 TV out of St. Louis, Missouri, reported the story of Amelia Seraiah's E. coli illness and hospitalization last night:

A Floyd County woman watched her son battle a deadly strain of E. coli back in September. Now she's hospitalized with the same illness. But her health isn't the only problem the single mother of five is facing.

It was 52 days ago -- on September 30th -- when Amelia Seraiah came down with the deadly bacteria. Her children are now staying with family members, who say they just pray she makes a full recovery.

Sharon Peltier has a lot to be thankful for this week. Her 3-year-old grandson, William, is off dialysis and doing better. He spent 17 days last month in Kosair Children's Hospital. Now Peltier's daughter (William's mother) is in Norton Hospital, fighting the same illness: E. coli.

Amelia isn't the only person battling an E. coli infection who will spend Thanksgiving in the hospital.  7-year-old Jayden Moss, of Willard, Utah, is expected to remain hospitalized until February.  He became ill with an E. coli infection earlier this fall and has suffered brain damage due to neurological involvement of HUS.  According to KSL.com:

Jayden is now at the learning level of an infant after developing Hemalitic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) from E. coli.

"He started throwing up and diarrhea," his mother, Rachael, said.

It eventually shut down his kidneys, and blood vessels in his body began bursting, causing severe brain damage. "Right now he doesn't walk, doesn't talk, he doesn't eat on his own, he's fed by a machine," Jayden's father, Jeremiah, explained.

According to the KSL story, Jayden's first-grade classmates have raised $6,500 to help his family pay their medical bills.

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The Sandusky County Health Department in Ohio is investigating the source of a Ross High School student's E. coli case after she was diagnosed on Wednesday.  Since the source of the outbreak has not been identified, SCHD sent home a letter with students at Ross High School so that they would be aware of the symptoms of E. coli infection.  In addition, the Port Clinton News Herald reported:

Fremont School Superintendent Traci McCaudy said the school was informed about the student Wednesday from the health department.

“The cleaning staff disinfected all of the classrooms,” McCaudy said, noting they have been following the strict guidelines of the health department.

McCaudy reported normal school attendance Thursday, and if parents call their child in sick, the school nurse is asking what illness symptoms their child has.

“To my understanding the student is doing better, and we’re concerned about it,” McCaudy said.

The student can return to school when she is symptom free, Smith said. She also said E. coli symptoms become present three to eight days after exposure.

And Wisconsin health officials are investigating an E. coli case in a student who attends St. Norbert College.  A press conference was held at 2pm this afternoon, but information available earlier in the day was not very detailed.  According to the Oshkosh Northwestern, "Officials found out about the case Thursday afternoon. [St. Norbert spokesman Mike] Counter didn’t know if the infected student is a male or female, but said he believes the individual lives in on-campus residence halls."

In more E. coli news, Stop & Shop announced yesterday that the store was recalling meatloaf that was made with recalled Cargill ground beef.  Information provided on the Dow Jones Market Watch website included a description of products recalled:

Stop & Shop Ground Meatloaf Mix with use-by/freeze-by dates of Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 due to concerns about E. coil contamination. The recall is part of a larger recall by Cargill Meat Solutions. The company did not say the quantity of products affected by the recall

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Cargill Meat Solutions Recalls Ground Beef - Action due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination

According to Cargill and FSIS press releases: Cargill Meat Solutions said it is voluntarily recalling approximately 1,084,384 pounds of ground beef produced at its Wyalusing, Pa., Cargill Regional Beef facility because of the possible presence of E. coli O157:H7. The ground beef products subject to recall were produced at the Wyalusing plant between Oct. 8 and 11, 2007, and were distributed to retailers nationwide.  Cargill learned of the possibility of contamination after the U.S. Department of Agriculture returned a confirmed positive on a sample of product produced Oct. 8, 2007.

Each package or label bears the establishment number “Est. 9400” inside the USDA mark of inspection. As the use/freeze-by dates for products subject to this recall have expired, consumers are urged to look in their freezers for these products and return or discard them if found.  In addition to the below listed products, there are various weights and varieties of ground beef, ground chuck, and ground sirloin product that were distributed for further processing and repackaging and will not bear the same establishment number on the package.  I love this logo from the Cargill website:

Products subject to recall are:

    
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 80/20 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 3.0-pound packages of “Century Farm 80/20 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1- pound packages of “Century Farm 80/20 Ground Beef Patty.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 85/15 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 3-pound packages of “Century Farm 90/10 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 90/10 Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 90/10 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 93/7 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Century Farm 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/31/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Century Farm 85/15 Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 93/7 Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 80/20 Chuck Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm 80/20 Chuck Ground Beef for Chili.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Century Farm Meatloaf Mix, Beef, Pork and Veal with Natural Flavors.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 1.25- pound packages of “Giant 75/25 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 3.0- pound packages of “Giant 75/25 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.25-pound packages of “Giant 80/20 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 3.0-pound packages of “Giant 80/20 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Giant Eagle Ground Chuck Beef Patties 80/20.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/22/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Giant Eagle Ground Beef Patties 92/8.” Use by/freeze by 10/22/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Giant Eagle Ground Beef Patties 85/15 – Certified Angus Beef Brand.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/22/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Giant Eagle Ground Round Beef Patties 85/15.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/22/2007
* 3.0-pound packages of “Shop Rite, 80% Lean 20% Fat, Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 3.0-pound packages of “Shop Rite, 85% Lean 15% Fat, Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Shop Rite, 93% Lean 7% Fat, Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Shop Rite, 93% Lean 7% Fat, Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Shop Rite, 96% Lean 4% Fat, Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.25- pound packages of “Stop & Shop 75/25 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 5.0- pound packages of “Stop & Shop 75/25 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.25-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 1.25-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 85/15 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.2-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 87/13 Ground Beef Sirloin, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1- pound packages of “Stop & Shop 90/10 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.0-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 2.6-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 90/10 Ground Beef Patties, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 2.5-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 90/10 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007
* 2.5-pound packages of “Stop & Shop 93/7 Ground Beef, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Wegmans 80/20 Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Wegmans 90/10 Ground Beef Patties.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/22/2007
* 3.0- pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats, 73/27 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1- pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats, 80/20 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 3- pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats, 80/20 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007 & 11/03/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 85/15 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 2.0 and 3.0 -pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 85/15 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 2-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 93/7 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 93/7 Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 96/4 Ground Beef Extra Lean.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 90/10 Ground Beef Sirloin Patties.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats Meatloaf Mix, Beef, Pork and Veal with Natural Flavors.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Weis Premium Meats 80/20 Ground Beef for Chili.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Meat Loaf Mix, Made with Beef, Pork, Veal, with Natural Flavors.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/22/2007
* 1.25-pound packages of “Meatloaf Mix, A Blend of Fresh Ground Beef, Pork & Veal, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* Various weight packages of “85/15 Coarse Ground Beef for Chili Meat, All Natural.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/2007
* 1.3-pound packages of “Ground Beef Chuck for Chili 80/20.” Use by/freeze by 10/19/2007 & 10/22/2007
* 1.3 pound packages of “Price Rite 85% Lean, 15% Fat Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3 pound packages of “Price Rite 80% Lean, 20% Fat Ground Beef.” Use by/freeze by 11/03/2007
* 1.3 pound packages of “Price Rite Meat loaf mix.” Use by/freeze by 10/31/207 & 11/03/2007

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Public health officials are currently investigating several E. coli cases around the country, in addition to the California E. coli case posted about yesterday.  Today media reports of E. coli cases in Iowa and New York have surfaced. 

In Iowa, three children have tested positive for E. coli infection in the last few weeks.  Two of the children attend the same daycare center, and an investigation into the cases is ongoing.  As reported by KCCI.com:

Doctors at Blank Children's Hospital have treated the children over the past few weeks. Polk County Health Department experts said they have connected at least two cases, but have not found the source.

"It takes us several weeks to understand the epi link, where the disease came from. We know that two of the cases have been reported from the same location. The other cases have not been found as related to this point," Lori Parsons with Polk County Health Department said.

In New York, one child from Niagara County was recently diagnosed with E. coli.  The Tonawanda News reported:

The student in the Wilson Central School District is now back in school after recovering completely from the illness. The district has already sent notices home with students and said there have been no “excessive absences” in the building where the student goes to school.

The public health department is still investigating the source of the child's illness.

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Associated Press reporter Jeff Gold authored a story that appeared in today's issue of Newsday and focuses on the inefficiencies and holes in the Topps Meats E. coli recall.  The story begins:

Meat recalled a month ago that could be contaminated with a potentially fatal bacteria 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.

State authorities have not determined when the meat was delivered to the stores.

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, agency spokesman Jeff Lamm said.

Inspectors found the other three while visiting nearly 200 stores in Hudson County, he said.

On September 25, 2007, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was recalling 331,582 pounds of frozen ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The company's ground beef products had been identified as the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak among residents of New York, Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

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 was what led to the resulting recall.

By September 29, 2007, Topps Meats had expanded the recall to a total of 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef products produced on various dates between September 25, 2006 and September 25, 2007. On October 11, 2007, 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.

FSIS issued an outbreak update on October 26, 2007, and announced that a joint investigation between FSIS and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had identified meat trim provided to Topps by Canadian company Ranchers Beef Ltd. as the source of the outbreak.

The recalled products were sold under Topps brand as well as Pathmark, ShopRite, Mike's, Kohler Foods, Rastelli's Fine Foods, Roma-Topps, Sam's Choice, Sand Castle, and West Side labels. All recalled products will have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748 on the back panel of the package or in the USDA logo.

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Bill Marler, the Seattle attorney who has dedicated his law practice to representing victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness outbreaks, 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,” Marler added.

Marler noted that other companies like Dole, Odwalla, ConAgra and Jack in the Box willingly paid medical bills and wage loss when their products were identified as the source of E. coli outbreaks. “Cargill knows it’s going to pay those medical expenses in the end in the form of a settlement or jury verdict,” Marler continued. “The question is, since they know their product was the cause of these kids’ illnesses, why wait?”

BACKGROUND: Marler represented Brianne Kiner in her $15.6 million settlement with Jack in the Box after its 1993 E. coli outbreak. Since that time, he has represented hundreds of victims of E. coli, including dozens of children and adults who have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and required life-long monitoring and medical treatment. Marler Clark has represented victims of high-profile E. coli outbreaks traced to ConAgra, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, AFG, Supervalu, Sizzler, and Dole, and recently filed a lawsuit against Topps. 

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Federal regulators will meet next week to discuss the incidence of E. coli outbreaks and illnesses that can be attributed to E. coli strains that produce Shiga-toxins, but are not E. coli O157:H7.  The Wall Street Journal reported on the upcoming meeting today, explaining the need for better monitoring and surveillance for non-O157:H7 E. coli strains:

For years, only one strain -- E. coli 0157:H7 -- has been the focus of government oversight and has prompted massive nationwide food recalls. But evidence has been piling up in the past several years to show there are other forms of dangerous E. coli bacteria that may be just as deadly to humans.

Food contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, can be the "cause of outbreaks of bloody diarrhea, often leading to severe and fatal illness."

While the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list just 501 cases of illness caused by these other dangerous E. coli bacteria in 2005, the number is probably much greater than that, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond said.

The USDA press release regarding the meeting also states:

Currently only one strain, E. coli O157:H7 is considered an adulterant in meat. The CDC has reported an increase in the number of non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections from 2000 to 2005. Outbreaks from these organisms have been reported in the U.S. since 1990, and foodborne exposures have been suspected in many of these outbreaks.

The purpose of the meeting is to solicit input from academia, consumers, other public health and regulatory agencies and industry on the issue of whether non-O157:H7 STECs should be considered to be adulterants as E. coli O157:H7.

Marler Clark is currently involved in litigation stemming from an E. coli outbreak that was caused by strain O121:H19 in foods served by a Wendy's restaurant in Utah.

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In an article for Newday, Delthia Ricks and Chau Lamb interviewed Dr. Robert Gravani, of Cornell University, about a recent spate of E. coli cases in Suffolk County, New York.  Dr. Gravani acknowledged that summertime means more E. coli outbreaks, and pointed out that consumers grilling more hamburgers is not the only cause.

Studies of cattle herds tell yet another side of the story: E. coli O157:H7, a hardy .microbe that can cause kidney failure in humans, has a definite seasonal prevalence.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska have found that from June through September up to 10 percent to 20 percent of all cattle may test positive for the microbe, which is harmless to cows. In winter, the number of positive animals declines to less than 5 percent.

In other E. coli news, the Flint Journal reported that Abbott's Meat, Inc., a Flint, Michigan, company that recalled over 26,000 pounds of ground beef products after a sample of the ground beef tested positive for E. coli, has recovered all remaining ground beef subject to recall. 

By this morning, all remaining ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria was expected to be back at Abbott's Meat Inc., said company President Ed Abbott.

"We think all the meat is out (of the businesses). Most of it's back at our plant," [company President Ed ] Abbott said Tuesday.

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Several reports indicate that 7 people who became ill with E. coli infections earlier this summer were infected after eating contaminated ground beef.  An article in the Buffalo News indicated that the E. coli outbreak was more widespread than Long Island and Suffolk County:

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.

In a report for Newsday today, reporter  Chau Lamb wrote that the strain of E. coli isolated from individuals who became ill in this most recent outbreak were infected with the same genetic strain of E. coli that was isolated from individuals who became ill with E. coli infections months ago after eating ground beef products produced by a Michigan meat supplier.  The investigation into the latest outbreak is ongoing, and epidemiologists are working to determine whether the outbreaks are related.

From the article:

The E. coli bacteria found in a Suffolk man has the same genetic pattern as the strain found in beef products in Michigan that were recalled in May, a county health official said yesterday.

The 29-year-old man grilled frozen hamburger patties on June 6 and ate them at home, said Dr. Patricia Dillon, director of communicable diseases for Suffolk's health department. He is among seven people who became ill and tested positive for E. coli strain 0157; officials say they suspect undercooked ground beef as the culprit.

In May, The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a recall announcement after a Michigan firm recalled meat products for potential E. coli contamination.  According to a press release from FSIS, Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Kalamazoo, Mich., is recalling approximately 129,000 pounds of beef products.  The potentially contaminated meat was shipped to Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, and was produced between March 1 and April 30.

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The Bracken County, Kentucky, health department is investigating how three children became ill with E. coli infections.  According to an article posted at wlwt.com, two siblings and another child fell ill with E. coli nearly a month ago.  Two of the children were hospitalized for several weeks with hemolytic uremic syndrome. 

WLWT interviewed Nicole Logan, the mother of two of the children who were ill - one, her son, Zachary, has been receiving treatment for HUS for over 3 weeks.

"Sometimes the children are not very sick and just have abnormalities in their blood tests. Other times they become very ill and require dialysis or even [have] permanent kidney failure," said Dr. Mitchell Cohen of Children's Hospital.

The Health Department is investigating what could have caused the three cases.

"They're for some reason leaning toward hamburger or spaghetti sauce," said Logan. "I just hope they can find it. I hope it's not still out there. I don't want more people to get sick."

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