Nestle Restarts Cookie Dough Production After E. coli Outbreak

Fresh on the heels of revelations by ABC news that three different E. coli strains have been linked to the nationwide outbreak of E. coli in cookie dough, the Wall Street Journal reports that Nestle is restarting production.  The Danville, Virginia plant was closed on June 19, when E. coli illnesses across the country were tied to the raw cookie dough produced there.  The FDA investigation of the plant found E. coli in an unopened package of the cookie dough and E. coli was also found in in a package of Nestle refrigerated cookie dough in the home of a victim.   Both of those strains, or serotypes, are different from that found in the stool of the 72 people who were infected by eating the cookie dough, meaning that three strains have now been associated with the product. 

Interestingly, Nestle continued processing other food products at the Danville factory while the cookie dough production was shut down. 

Questions continue to swirl around the outbreak, as no source has yet been identified in the E. coli contamination of the Nestle Cookie Dough product.  Now the multiple strains of E. coli connected to the outbreak add another layer of mystery - and yet, production resumes.

2007 E. coli recalls total more than 33.3 million pounds

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.

Kentucky Woman Dies from E. coli Infection

Vickie Shelton, a Knox County resident, passed away on Monday, November 26th at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington after being admitted. 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.

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.

E. coli victim still hospitalized

Stephanie Smith E. coliSharon 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

Indiana, Utah residents fight E. coli infections

E. coli 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.

More E. coli cases pop up in Ohio, Wisconsin

The Sandusky County Health Department in Ohio is investigating the source of a Ross High School student's E. coli case.

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.

Fremont School Superintendent Traci McCaudy said that the cleaning staff disinfected all of the classrooms, following strict health department guidelines. The student can return to school when she is symptom free.

In addition, Wisconsin health officials are investigating an E. coli case in a student who attends St. Norbert College.
 

Cargill Recalls A Million Pounds of E. coli Hamburger

Cargill Meat Solutions 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.

Cargill learned of the possibility of contamination after the U.S. Department of Agriculture returned a confirmed positive on a sample of product.

Products subject to recall include:

  • Century Farm Ground Beef
  • Giant Ground Beef
  • Giant Eagle Ground Beef Patties
  • Shop Rite Ground Beef
  • Stop & Shop Ground Beef
  • Wegmans Ground Beef Patties
  • Weis Premium Meats Ground Beef
  • Price Rite Ground Beef


 

Iowa, New York report E. coli cases

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.

Polk County Health Department experts said they have connected at least two cases, but have not found the source.

In New York, one child from Niagara County was recently diagnosed with E. coli. The student in the Wilson Central School District is now back in school after recovering completely from the illness. The public health department is still investigating the source of the child's illness.
 

Topps meat found in NJ stores after recall

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.
 

Marler Clark to Cargill: Step up, pay victims' medical bills

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.”

Non-O157:H7 E. coli getting attention

Federal regulators will be meeting 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.

For years, E. coli 0157:H7 has been the only strain being 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.

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.
 

Risk of E. coli increases in summertime

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 E.coli-positive animals declines to less than 5 percent.

Dr. Robert Gravani of Cornell University acknowledged that summertime means more E. coli outbreaks, and pointed out that consumers grilling more hamburgers is not the only cause, reports Newsday.

 

E. coli linked to ground beef

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.
 

3 Kentucky children ill with E. coli, 2 hospitalized with HUS

The Bracken County, Kentucky, health department is investigating how three children became ill with E. coli infections. 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.

Nicole Logan, the mother of two of the children who were ill, tells WLWT that 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."
 

More tips for grilling, picnics

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

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

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