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

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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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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Marler Clark filed a lawsuit today in United States District Court for the District of Minnesota 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 in September. 

According to the complaint, the McDonald family purchased Cargill ground beef patties on September 17^th and cooked and ate the hamburgers on September 29^th. Four-year-old John McDonald was seen in the emergency room on October 3, 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 16^th underwent surgery to have part of his bowel removed. After nearly a month’s hospitalization, John was discharged from the hospital on October 29, 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 on October 5^th. By October 7, Michaela’s symptoms had not improved, and she was 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.

For further information about the lawsuit, please contact Suzanne Schreck at (206) 346-1879 or sschreck@marlerclark.com.

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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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